Sink or Swim
by Lozzimal
Summary: Season 2 project - a collection of tags and/or missing scenes to all episodes of season 2. Will be slash in later chapters. And based mainly on my favourite character - the delightful Danno! But also features all characters.
1. 201

tag to 2.01

* * *

Steve was tired, very tired, his stomach hurt like hell, his head too, but he really didn't want to go home on his own. He was surrounded by people he trusted, although Danny, his best friend, his _partner _was hiding out in his office, and after their discussion in Max's car, he understood why. But there was the rub, Steve wanted to feel sorry for him, to commiserate with him, but he found he couldn't. What he did was smile to himself in triumph. Yes, he hurt because Danny was hurting, yes he wanted to make him stop hurting, but in truth he felt pretty good that that silly woman had walked away from Danny, again. That left him a chance, something he was going to grab with both hands, but first things first. He walked into Danny's office with a beer, with a comment on his lips, but asked him what he was doing instead. And the shock he felt when he saw his father shaking hands with Wo Fat and Jameson threw any ideas he had about seduction out of the window.

But again though, Danny was there for him, backing him up and being his backbone. "We need to talk to Hesse." Steve said, and Danny nodded, but took his arm in his hand before the Commander could head off again. "Danny?" he asked him with a frown. "What…?"

Danny shook his head. "Not today." he informed him firmly, and kept his hand around Steve's bicep as he stood. "You've had a hard day, Steve," he added with a slight smile, his tone wry. "You're exhausted, and don't try to tell me that you're not hurting because I won't believe you."

Steve was going to deny his pain and tiredness, but one look at his partner's own face stopped him. "You're right." he admitted, and smiled at the shocked expression on Danny's face. "He'll still be there tomorrow."

Danny looked him up and down overtly and shook his head. "He'll still be there the day after too." he commented, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Jenna take a phone call, stand from the table and walk away. But he ignored her for his partner, much more important to him that a phone call. "Come on." he instructed, and tugged him gently with him. "I'll take you home."

Steve watched him for a moment and then allowed himself to relax, finally, for the first time in forever it seemed. And his tiredness hit him full force. He nodded, and didn't care that his friend kept his hand around his arm while he packed his stuff away with the other hand. Danny nodded at Joe as he shut the lid of his laptop and picked it up, holding it tightly in his free hand, and the older SEAL nodded back and stepped back, letting him take Steve out of the office. The other people in the main room noticed their entrance and Chin walked over but Danny shook his head at the bottle he was offering. "He's exhausted," the detective told the Lieutenant. "I'm taking him home."

"Come over tomorrow, everyone." Steve invited, and at their choruses of acceptance he let Danny lead him out of the offices.

Danny looked around them before he pulled his friend out of the building, making sure there wasn't anyone hanging around the doors or his car parked nearby – he didn't think for one minute the press hadn't heard of today's actions and they were like vultures. Wo Fat and his minions were still out there, despite them confiscating a lot of his money and his boat too, so he did a quick check of the car, still holding Steve's arm and quickly ducked down to look under the car for anything that shouldn't be there. It was clean, and he handed his laptop to his partner while he fished for his keys, and shook his head when Steve opened his mouth. "No, Babe, you're not driving." he commented as he unlocked it. "Not when you're like this. Now get in, and don't argue."

For once in his life Steve did as he was told, and he climbed in the passenger side, still holding onto his partner's laptop. Danny finally let go of his arm and shut the door behind him, to jog around the front and get in his own side. Oddly, or not really, Steve felt a lot more vulnerable when he didn't have Danny's strong hand wrapped around his arm, so much so he stared at him as he rounded the front of the car and got in himself. Danny noticed and frowned at him as he glanced over as he shut himself in. "Are you all right, Babe?" he asked, reaching over to him again. "Do I need to take you to a hospital?"

Steve shook his head. "Max stitched me up and stuck me full of antibiotics." he assured him. "I just…" Need to touch you, need to see you, to be with you, to hear you, to … to …

"Steve?" Danny asked him again. His partner had stuttered to a halt mid sentence and was staring at him, eyes wide, a face the detective hadn't seen before – it seemed to be a mix of confusion and exhaustion, and he really didn't like it a lot. "You okay?" he asked again, and laid a hand on the thigh nearest to him.

His touch seemed to pull Steve out of wherever he had gone and he looked up at Danny again and smiled. "I'm okay." he assured him. "Thanks to you."

Danny smiled too and shook his head. He was going to say something about that, but behind Steve he could see the van of a local news station speed into the car park of the Palace. "Shit," he cursed and let go of his friend to turn to the car. "Strap in, Babe." he instructed, and fired the throaty ignition of the vehicle. The Camaro leapt forward like a gazelle at his persuasion and they sped out of the car park, straight past the van, out and into the main flow of traffic before the other driver could compensate.

* * *

It didn't take long to get back to Casa McGarrett and Danny was pleased that he had spent some of his time when he was unemployed cleaning and tidying up the place after HPD had gone through it. At least nothing had been broken, and they had left the licensed weapons there, at his insistence. Of course the officers hadn't found the other weapons he had hidden himself, and Steve's escape stash of cash, fake IDs, fake bank accounts etc. that he had also hidden – they didn't need to know about that stuff. So at least, when he got the owner home and into the house he wasn't upset or overwhelmed with any mess. Indeed he looked around and frowned. "Did HPD not search the place?" he asked as Danny relocked the door behind them, making sure they were secure inside. "Or have you…?"

Danny nodded. "I have." he answered him, and quickly did a check of the ground floor. He had been followed virtually everywhere the last week, even to the grocery store, his apartment had been searched too, and he was a bit paranoid. But he could have lost his best friend this morning, if Hesse had stabbed him just a little more to the left, if Max hadn't gone home at the time he did, if the cops had gotten to Kamekona's quicker, or if they hadn't found the camera McGarrett Snr had planted, he could have, so he checked to make sure no one had broken in and was waiting for Steve to return. Steve knew what he was doing; he watched and waited for him to do it before he followed him up the stairs, waiting for him at the top to do the same on the first floor. "What happened to you this week, Danno?" he asked him quietly as he followed him into his bedroom when he had found it clear.

Danny looked up and smiled grimly. "I'm not telling you," he answered him, and took the laptop Steve still held from him. "Not today anyway. Are you hungry? Do you need anything that I can get you?"

Steve shook his head. "Kame fed me." he assured him. "I just…" he started, and then stopped. Again.

Danny shook his head fondly and put the computer down on a chest of drawers nearby before he gently pushed his friend onto his bed. "Is it that word – just?" he asked him as he crouched in front of him and started to unlace Steve's boots. "You can't finish what you're gonna say if you've uttered that word?"

Steve watched him, tired, in pain, but soothed as Danny kept talking. It didn't matter what he was talking about, his voice flowed over the SEAL like a warm, gentle wave, assuring him more than the words that he was finally out and at home. Danny's hands were gentle on his skin, he pulled off his boots and socks, then stood in front of Steve and slipped his hands under the hem of his tee shirt to take that off too. He was concentrating on stripping Steve, just to get him out of the clothes he wore to get him into bed, to get him comfortable enough to sleep, not seeming to care about the intimacy of his actions.

But he was still talking, and Steve let him, raising his arms when required, and watched as Danny moved close to him to check his bandaging. It was clean, no blood or pus staining it, and Danny looked up at his partner and smiled gently. "Max did a good job." he assured him, and laid a hand on Steve's side, just above the dressings to check the skin temperature.

Steve moved then, covering his hand with one of his own, and stared up at him. He studied him closely as Danny looked down at him – he had dark circles under his eyes, those normally bright orbs were dull, more lines around those eyes, and it also looked like he had lost some weight – his cheek bones stood out more than they had before.

Danny looked … not just tired, but done in, completely finished, as much as Steve himself.

And he knew then that he couldn't let him go, he couldn't let him leave him, especially like this. "Are you all right, Danno?" he asked him, quietly and interlocked their fingers. "Please, tell me the truth."

Danny was going to do a SuperSEAL and tell him that he was fine, but he couldn't. He shook his head and squeezed his fingers. "Not yet," he answered him truthfully. "But you're out, so things are looking up."

Steve smiled, just a quirk of the sides of his mouth. "Stay," he said, asked, pleaded, demanded. "With me, I need you here, with me, so I… we can sleep."

Danny raised one eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder at the bed behind him. It was large and comfortable, he knew that, and crashing with Steve would stop him, hopefully, from having more nightmares about him stuck in prison. Not only that, he knew he loved his partner, he had only tried to rekindle with Rachel because he knew Steve needed someone much better than him, and he was probably in love with Catherine so making a move would, no doubt, be turned aside gently. But sleeping with him, just sleep, nothing more, could reassure him that he was here, with him, even for just one night. He nodded. "Okay," he agreed, easily, and was somewhat surprised when Steve gave him one of his wide, wide smiles and scooted over to the side to give him some room. It didn't take his partner long to pull off Steve's pants and then his own clothes, and he was soon under the covers with him, watching him. There was a gap between them, but the SEAL didn't like that, at all. So he smiled at him, reached out for him under the blankets and simply pulled him close, despite some flailing, and tucked him under his chin. Danny muttered under his breath about controlling army marines, but slipped his own arms around his partner's trim waist and closed his eyes. He took a few moments to listen to Steve's steady breathing and heartbeat under his ear before he said anything. "I'm pleased you're safe, Steve," he murmured, his voice muffled. "Don't do anything like this to me again."

Steve smiled and closed his eyes, holding him closely. "I'll see what I can do, Danny," he replied fondly, not promising him anything, just in case. "Go to sleep."

Danny had had a bad week, so it wasn't difficult for him to follow his instructions and sleep. Steve was thinking that he would be awake a bit longer, just relaxing in Danny's embrace, but he had barely slept in prison, concerned about whoever was either side of him, and it was actually easy for him to slip into a deep sleep, Danny snuggled close against him providing him with much needed comfort.

* * *

Morning came and went with barely a mutter from either of them: Steve had woken early, checked the clock and decided that today at least, they deserved a break. Danny, still snuggled close to him, had snuffled a bit when his pillow had moved, but hadn't woken, and the Commander decided that following his example was the best idea. So he didn't get up, instead he closed his eyes again and reburied his face in Danny's soft hair, and quickly fell asleep again.

He woke again a few hours later to find he was alone. He stretched onto his back, sniffed the air, and smiled – the reason Danny wasn't with him seemed to be obvious with the scent of bacon in the air. Quickly he got out of bed, pulled on a t shirt, and padded down the stairs in his sleep shorts to go and find him.

Danny was in the kitchen, humming to himself as he stood over the stove, and he jumped, startled, when Steve padded silently up to him to stand close beside him. "Morning, Danno." he greeted him with a grin.

Danny looked up at him with a frown that didn't last very long. "I need to get you a bell," he commented, as he looked him up and down. "Far too quiet. Are you okay?" he asked him.

Steve nodded and smiled at him. "I feel fine." he assured him. "My side doesn't hurt, I've slept well, and I'm fine. What about you? You haven't been up long?" he queried, looking him up and down too. Danny didn't look as tired as he had been yesterday, but he didn't look completely well again, not yet.

Danny shook his head. "Not long." he agreed, and then quickly checked the pan in his hand. "Do you like you're bacon well done?" he asked him, amused.

Steve laughed quietly and left him there to go to the fridge for some juice. "Yep." he agreed, and quickly poured some orange juice into two glasses.

Danny cooked breakfast for them, Steve made coffee and poured juice, laid the table and got a couple of plates for them, and they ate their breakfast at the kitchen table. It was calm, something Steve hadn't had for over a week, and he found himself watching as Danny ate with a goofy smile on his face.

"What's with the grin?" the Detective asked him as he reached for his mug of coffee. "Is it good?" he asked, nodding at Steve's virtually empty plate in front of him.

Steve nodded, his grin getting wider. "You don't know how good this feels, Danno," he replied, and leant across the table to grasp Danny's free hand in his own.

Danny smiled back, turned his hand over and interlocked his fingers with his partner's, watching him all the time. "Don't worry, Babe." he assured him fondly. "I know."

They spent the day in and out of the house, Danny pottering around while Steve swam, and the Detective ended up sitting in his favourite chair on the lanai as Steve stroked cleanly out to the horizon, and back again. He really was part Seal, Danny thought to himself as he watched the man, a blob in the blue, turn and swim back towards him. He knew Steve loved the sea, he was in it as much as possible, and Danny was so pleased, so relieved that he was safe and back in his own home. The Jersey detective had felt like his right arm had been amputated this past week, the lack of Steve beside him had been painful, and he had done as much as he could to get him out. He had hated seeing him in Halawa, orange was definitely not Steve's colour, and seeing him in Max's home was such a relief. But not for long when he realised how badly hurt he was.

He still was.

"Damn." Danny murmured to himself as he stood and walked over to the shoreline. "Come back, SuperSEAL. I need to check your wound."

* * *

Steve left Danny in his kitchen, doing something with ingredients, and squeezed his shoulder with his hand as he left. But his partner knew him well enough to know what he was going to do, what he needed to do, and he would be right. However much Steve wanted to stay with Danny, to let him, with his gentle humming, filling up his empty spaces with his sheer presence, the sea outside was calling him. It had been a tortuous week, not only being stuck in a place where everything was regimented, where there were a lot of people there looking to kill him, but also, he had no access to the sea, his home element. He couldn't wait any longer, so he quickly left his partner and walked to the bathroom downstairs where he kept one of the three first aid kits in the house. This one was decked out with items he had put in to make waterproof dressings, and he quickly covered the patch on his chest with a polythene cover, taping it down carefully. To do that he'd already stripped to his board shorts, and he strode out of the bathroom, through the living room, and out of the door onto the beach. He looked out for a moment, breathing in the fresh air, and grinned to himself. The sea was calling, and who was he to ignore it? He held back a yell of joy by sheer stubbornness, and jogged across his beach and didn't stop until he got deep enough in the clear, warm water, teeming with life. The water encased him, embraced him, surrounded him when he dove into it, and finally felt free and at home again. The only thing that would make it even better would be if Danny was beside him, but he now had the time to persuade him to do that.

He didn't wallow in that though, instead he surfaced again, took a deep breath, and headed out to the horizon.

Danny waded into the ocean when he spotted his partner on his way back; his strokes slow with none of his usual vigour. The great goof had gone too far, even the way he pulled himself up out of the water told him that. So he walked out to him, caught him before Steve could collapse back into the waves, and dragged the SEAL's arm over his own shoulder, and helped him out of the water. "You went out too far, goof," he said to him as Steve leant heavily against him. "Deny it and I'll drop you."

The SEAL took the support his friend gave him and smiled to himself – as usual Danny was his back up, was there to hold him up when the world tried to break him into little pieces, was there to put him back together when it worked and he ended up in pieces. Like now. He leant on him and let him help him back to a chair on his lanai, lowering him in as if he was the most fragile thing Danny knew, which he probably was at that point. Once he was sure he was settled Danny turned back to the other chair, picked up the towel Steve had left there and used it carefully to pat away the seawater from the dressing on his friend's stomach. He studied it, a frown on his face, and only looked up again when Steve laid a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Thanks, Danny, for everything," he said to him softly. "Everything."

Danny looked up at him and noted that he was wide open, none of the usual shutters, and he could see Steve's emotions. He was tired, yes, in a bit of pain, but relief was uppermost, with affection and dare he think it, a bit of love there too.

Danny smiled a little and used his free hand to cup his partner's cheek in his hand. "Did you really think I would leave you here?" he asked him, his voice soft. "That I would abandon my partner, my best friend to this crap?" he asked.

Steve blinked and shrugged. He had thought that, he had been terrified that Danny would leave him too, and he had been so relieved to find him on the other side of the glass. "I had hoped…" he murmured and looked away from him for a moment.

Danny huffed a laugh and straightened his knees so he was level with him. "You goof," he said fondly, and surprised him by pressing a kiss to Steve's forehead first, then the tip of his nose. He paused for a moment, checking Steve's reactions, and, when he got a smile, he continued and lightly kissed the SEAL's lips. They were slightly chapped and dry, but soft, and as he continued he felt Steve's arms slip around him and hold him tight.

But before they could do anything else, they both heard the doorbell ring and a voice yell from the front door. It was Catherine, even Danny recognised her voice, and he groaned and momentarily pressed his face back against Steve's shoulder before he climbed off him. He handed Steve the towel he had dropped and left him to answer the door, secretly wondering what the hell she was doing here. She hadn't been around when Steve had needed her, Danny had called her a couple of days after Chin had arrested Steve, but she had made some excuse about not wanting to see him locked up. So now, when he was out, the Detective in him was wondering why she was here now. And he was worried too, Steve and Cat knew each other a lot longer than Danny did, and he knew he was second fiddle to her, whatever his partner told him. So he sighed and tried to school his face before he opened the door, and even managed a smile for her as he greeted her. "Hey Catherine." he greeted her, and stepped back to let her in. "Surprised to see you here today."

She smiled at him and walked into the house, looking around the lower floor of the house for her quarry. "I heard you cleared him," she told him as she dodged around him. "Is he here?"

Danny sighed to himself and nodded. "He's out back, on the lanai," he told her, and stood back as she virtually jogged over him to get out of the open back door. He could hear her voice as she found the Commander, high pitched and happy, and Steve replied, his voice a bit calmer but no less happy to see her.

Danny waited a few moments, checking his feet, anything other than the door, but he couldn't leave it anymore, he had to know what they were doing. So he crept to the back door and glanced around the wall. As he had feared and thought, Cat had taken his place on Steve's chair, his arms around her, seemingly trying to find each other's tonsils.

Danny left them there to creep back upstairs and gather his stuff together, quickly shoving his clothes and toiletries he had brought over with him a couple of days ago into the holdall he had used. He had to stop at one point when he pulled his sleep shorts from the bed, because he really didn't want to cry over his partner, and it took a moment of deep breathing and his eyes squeezed shut to stop that. He had hoped that after virtually a year of wanting he had gotten somewhere, but no, fate had gotten one over on him again. With one last look out of the back door, where Steve was looking at Cat with such a soft expression on his face it hurt, he left, shutting the front door behind him. Steve probably wouldn't even notice he was gone.

End


	2. 202

2.02

* * *

Steve was floored, and he really hated that feeling. He had gone to the Governor's office that morning after being summoned curiously, wondering what the guy wanted this time, but the last thing he had expected was to be lumbered with a babysitter. Especially someone he didn't know, that he didn't trust, that he'd never worked with. Danny was going to love it, not, and Chin? He was going to see it as a replacement for Kono, so he quickly made sure he mentioned that, almost as soon as his brain had caught up with the Governor's words. His: "It's not about Officer Kalakaua" was not very reassuring, but, when the guy told them both firmly that it wasn't a request, there was nothing he could do apart from take the call buzzing in his pocket.

It was Danny, and his partner was another person he really needed to talk to. Danny had gone by the time he had found that Joe had called Cat and gotten her some time off to see him, he had wanted Danny to stay, he felt so _safe _with his partner in his house, filling up the dark spaces with everything he was. And he hadn't really wanted his friend to go home alone, not with everything he had lost because of him. Danny had looked so happy before, he had the chance at getting his family back, but what he had told him in the car when he was taking Steve to Mokoto's was probably only half of what was going on in his head.

Danny felt everything so deeply, and Rachel pushing him away so easily, again, would hurt him so much. But he was hiding it behind his bluster and bravado, and Steve had wanted to question him about it when he was at his house when all of the dust had settled, but Cat had turned up and stopped that. But she had gone now, back to the Enterprise this morning, and he had thought he had some time to deal with it. Until the new Governor had landed him with another problem.

So Steve decided to deal with Lori Weston the only way he could and checked out her kidnapping skills, 3 out of 5 was average, not brilliant, but not too bad either. Then left her in the car park and went to find his partner.

* * *

Danny got to the crime scene at about the same time as Steve did, and the SEAL was very pleased to see him. He was going to over and talk to him there and then, but their new babysitter was quick to follow him, butting in the conversation, when all he really wanted to do was pull his partner to one side and ask him if he was okay, to get him to open up, however way he wanted.

But Danny was smiling, one of those that didn't reach his eyes, and he looked Steve up and down, resting a hand on his arm. "Look at you, you clean up nice, Babe," he greeted him. And then he spotted Weston following Steve like a puppy. "And who is this?" he questioned.

"Lori Weston, our new partner," Steve replied dryly, and watched the expression on his face and eyes. There was something there, something that he didn't like very much, but Danny cleared it quickly and shoved him out of the way to reach for Lori, hand out. "I'm Danny, very nice to meet you," Steve half listened to him as they made their way to the crime scene, only grinning like he meant it when Danny called him 'GQ', maybe there was some hope yet.

* * *

Later, when he finally managed to get some time at his house, Steve breathed a sigh of relief, even more so when he could hear the Camaro's throaty engine glide into his driveway. He walked over to the door and opened it, waiting for his partner, and he watched him get out of the car, a smile on his face. He was thin though, thinner than he should be, and he looked tired, but he was still Danny, and he still grabbed some beer from the footwell when he got out of the car. He locked the car and walked over, his smile reaching his eyes this time. "I see you've changed," he commented, as he looked him partner up and down.

"Uh huh," Steve replied and stepped back to let him in the house. "I couldn't have you calling me GQ all day," he retorted, and took the 6 pack from him. He had changed, jeans and a tee now, rather than his suit, he was much more comfortable. He surprised him by slipping his free arm around his partner's waist and pulled him into a tight hug, pulling him further into the house as he used his foot to shut the door. "Danny," he murmured, and pressed his face into his partner's soft hair. Danny hugged him back, both arms around him, his hands splayed over Steve's strong back, and laid his head on his friend's strong shoulder, relaxing for the first time all day. "A babysitter, huh?" he murmured after a few moments.

"Yeah," Steve replied, and nuzzled his temple. "Denning was annoyed I let Wo Fat's guard go so he's stuck us with a sitter," he grumbled.

Danny sighed and closed his eyes. "Not a replacement for anyone then?" he asked him, and Steve studied that question for a few moments before he answered. Danny hadn't asked about Kono, he had asked about _anyone, _which led the SEAL to think he was concerned about himself.

"No, Danny," he told him firmly and pulled away from him momentarily to look down at him. "Not a replacement, no one could replace you."

Danny shook his head though, and refused to look at him, trying to pull away as he did so. "There's always someone," he said softly.

So that was what was going through his head, the SEAL thought, he was thinking about Stan, Rachel and Grace, as well as Lori Weston, he thought he was second best to everyone else. But that was so untrue, so very untrue. "Not for me," Steve assured him. "Never for me."

Danny mumbled noncommittally and Steve squeezed him tightly before he reluctantly let him go. "I've got a couple of steaks marinating, ready to go," he offered when Danny didn't move away, but then didn't look at him either. "Is that okay?"

Danny nodded, and yelped quietly when Steve simply grabbed him and pulled him close again. "Or we could just do this," the SEAL said to him, and just held him.

End


	3. 203

2.03

* * *

Steve was waiting for Danny to say something about what he had seen at the base, and he was surprised that the smaller man waited for as long as he did. In fact Danny had waited until they were back in the Camaro and on their way back to Steve's house, the others of the team following in various vehicles behind them.

"You can neither confirm nor deny, huh?" Danny asked him, his tone dry.

Steve looked over at him with a wry little smile. "Sorry." he said simply, knowing it would spark a response from his partner.

Indeed it did – Danny's eyebrows met his hairline and he shook his head. "I know, its classified." he commented, his displeasure obvious. "But..." he added after a few moments. "Why is it classified?"

Steve glanced over at him from the road ahead, a frown on his own forehead, and noted that Danny looked confused. It was an odd question, and the Commander didn't really know where the other man was going to go with that. So he shrugged and thought a moment before he replied. "To protect the participants." he answered him. "To stop this exact thing from happening, I guess. And." he added with another wry smile. "To give politicians plausible deniability."

Danny's frown deepened. "That doesn't make much sense." he replied, trying to get his brain around it. The op that they had witnessed was a precision strike against a drug cartel that thought they were above the law, he had been appalled to think that Steve, his partner, his friend, hell, his spouse if you listened to everyone around them, could and had carried out such attacks, but then realised that he himself couldn't call him on it, after all, Steve had not hidden his past or who he was from him at all. And Danny himself had taken part in some raids like that in New Jersey, well, not exactly like that, but in raids where people had been killed, where he had killed, - who was he to complain about it?

"What's going through your head, Danny?" Steve asked when his partner did not follow his statement up with anything, and he glanced over at him again. He had watched the op with satisfaction of a job well done, knowing how it felt to be on the incursion team, having carried out ops like that before. But the others hadn't, and he had wanted them, especially Danny, to see something of what he could and had done, if anything to make his friend realise that he could look after himself. Most of the time.

Danny shook his head as he tried to think it through. "I understand why keeping the team's identity out of it," he commented. "Because we'd have more of the stuff today. But why keep something like this secret? I mean, clearing out a nest of drug dealers is a good thing, surely."

Steve shrugged again. "I don't know." he admitted after some thought. "I guess the commanders think it's something the American people don't need to know."

Danny frowned at him and turned to look at him. "That's just weird." he retorted. "I can read all about some pseudo celebrity's love life, but I can't read about our special forces taking out a drug cartel?" He shook his head. "If people believe what Joe said, that it's American justice in action, then why are we hiding it?"

Steve couldn't answer his question, he had been trained for years that everything he did was classified, that he couldn't tell anyone about what he was doing and why, especially why, and one conversation with his partner wasn't going to change that. But he knew him well enough that Danny was just winding himself up to a full blown _discussion _about the subject, so he kept quiet and waited for more revelations from him.

"And.." Danny began again, not disappointing his partner. "What was that from Joe? 'American justice'? No wonder plenty of people on this planet don't like us, we're not the world's police."

Steve glanced at him and spotted that he was looking at him as if he wanted an answer. "I know that, Danny." he conceded. "And most of the time the military are used to deal with US security issues. Like that cartel today, they were trafficking drugs into the US."

Danny nodded. "I get that." he agreed. "So why is it so secret is the question? Why don't the top bods send out information about that, to explain why US forces have gone into another country and carried that out?"

Steve shrugged and eased the Camaro through the traffic as he thought about it. "Maybe the group were being financed by politicians or other high profile people?" he suggested after a moment or two. "I don't know the answer, Danny. I wasn't involved in the intel on that one."

"But you were in May last year." Danny countered, warming to his subject. "And if I remember rightly, the President announced that one to the world. What's the difference this time?"

"That one was Osama Bin Laden." Steve replied, as if that answered everything. "It was of worldwide importance."

"But drug trafficking is also a worldwide problem, Steve." Danny countered. "The drug trade kills more people in the world than Al Qaeda ever did. Why shouldn't we advertise this? If what we've just seen was shown, that that's the consequence of distributing drugs wholesale into the US, then surely people would think twice, or twenty times, about doing it? The Brits advertise some of their stuff, Grace and I watched a documentary about their Navy intercepting shipments in the Caribbean, their police tracking shipments from outside the country to where its delivered so they can arrest everyone in the chain. They even went through an op where their FBI, called it SOCA I think, worked with their special forces in Afghanistan and targeted opium fields, destroying them at the source." Danny's arms were in full motion now, something Steve hadn't seen in a while, and he was pleased that his partner was animated again. "Why can't we publicise something like that?" He looked over at the Commander with shrewd eyes. "I can understand why assassinations are kept classified; I wouldn't want to know how many people had been killed in my name, but other stuff? It seems they're kept secret for secret's sake."

Steve tried to keep his face neutral; he didn't want to give anything away to his friend. He had given it a lot of thought when Joe had suggested letting the team in on Payback, letting them watch it, he really didn't want them thinking he was a monster for doing what he had spent a lot of time training for. But this was not what he expected. Danny... didn't seem to mind was not really it, he admitted when he glanced over at his partner again, had latched onto something that Steve had not even thought about, the secrecy had always been a part of his job, before, during and after the ops, and he'd never given it a second thought. And Danny was still silent, waiting for an answer. "I don't know, Danny." he told him truthfully. "Most things are secret or classified to protect the security of the information, or the person it's about, or the source of the information. They'd probably keep the one we've just seen to protect the people who found out where the cartel were based."

Danny frowned again. "The commander on the base said that they had timed it so everyone was there." he commented. "I asked him."

Steve nodded, Danny had, he had also demanded how the commander knew everyone was there, and how they had come to that conclusion too, in such a tone that made his partner concerned for the safety of the Navy intel guy in front of him if he didn't reply in a satisfactory manner. He did, obviously, since the cop hadn't beaten the guy to a pulp, but Steve had been ready to leap in and protect his partner if needs be. But Steve had also been concerned about Danny's reaction to himself – he hadn't hidden his past from him, he couldn't, but knowing about it and actually seeing it in action were two definitely different things. It seemed that he needn't have worried though, Danny seemed to be more annoyed about the classified stuff. Indeed –

"I just think it's a load of bull." the Detective told him. "I understand why it needs to be kept secret while things like that are going on, but keeping it secret for the next fifty years is just crap. It's making the military look ashamed of carrying out their jobs, what the people there, you included, have trained for." He turned and looked at him, looked _through _him, all of the SEAL's thoughts laid bare for his scrutiny. "Are you ashamed, Steve?" he asked him pointedly. "Is that why you hide behind all the secrecy?"

Steve shook his head. "No." he said firmly, and directed the car into his street. "Not now, not ever."

"Good." Danny replied, and Steve could see the self satisfied smile on his partner's face from there. Which made him frown. "What's with the face?" he asked him and parked the car outside his front door. He faced him and studied his partner's expression with a smile.

"I don't have a face." Danny replied automatically. "That's you. You with your hundreds of faces. I only have the one face."

"Right." Steve said slowly, his tone dry. "So what's with the one you're wearing at the moment?" he asked him again. "The one that's telling me you definitely got the cream."

Danny punched him, gently, on the arm. "I'm pleased you're not ashamed of who you are." he answered him, and prepared to get out of the car. He looked up and noticed where they were before turning back to his partner. "Why are we here?" he asked, surprised.

Steve shrugged and pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Beer and steak." he told him nonchalantly, and got out of the car.

"Oh, okay." Danny agreed easily and followed him out of the car to the house, as he partner knew he would. He had been concerned that his friend wouldn't understand why he was proud of his work as a SEAL, and was pleased and relieved to find out that he had worried for nothing. As usual, Danny had his back.

END


	4. 204

2.04

* * *

Danny looked at the trajectory of the bullet on the hired boat, and had a thought. He looked up and was going to bounce his idea off his partner, only to see Officer Weston there instead of Steve. With a silent sigh he looked around and stepped out of the forecastle of the boat to find him – Steve could get into God knew how much trouble on his own. Only to find him standing in the coastguard boat, grinning at Joe White.

Danny didn't really know how he felt about the older SEAL, he seemed to make Steve feel better, most of the time, but other times he worried Steve, Danny could tell from the looks on his face that he tried to hide. The Jersey detective should feel pretty good about him, he knew that, but he couldn't stop feeling left out, abandoned by his best friend.

He watched while Steve talked with White, got ready for his dive, and got his equipment checked over by the other Commander, something Danny knew he should be doing. Instead he was stuck here, on a few feet of wood that was moving with the waves, partnered with a babysitter he didn't really know, didn't really trust, watching his partner from a distance.

Obviously the great goof didn't realise just how much Danny knew him, so much so he had given everything up for him, all of his hopes for his own future, even his one chance at being a family again with his daughter.

And the only reason he had tried again with Rachel was because Steve had shown no interest in him, however much he flirted with Steve, however much he had virtually thrown himself at him.

Steve though, had eyes only for Catherine Rollins and weapons, smiling at Danny's attempts, being his friend, but nothing more.

Danny had hoped he had finally pulled away from the wreckage of his life after Rachel times two, when he and Steve had fallen into the same bed when he had been cleared, but no. Danny had spent a couple of days in the house, making sure his friend ate, slept, kept his wound clean, but just as he thought he was getting somewhere Lieutenant Rollins had turned up Steve's door, and Danny was relegated again.

With a huff the detective tried to get back to work, tried to deal with Weston while he kept half an eye on the surface of the water where his partner had disappeared, but it was difficult.

Steve really didn't get it, how could he? He had never, would probably never be in the position where the people he loved pushed him away because he wasn't good enough.

Danny didn't want him to feel it; he never wanted Steve to feel the deep ache, like a cancerous tumour eating away at his soul, pain that never went away.

He felt like he'd been stabbed in the gut the first time, and every subsequent time Steve had mentioned Catherine, or walked into HQ in the morning with an easy grin and a loose-limbed relaxed manner that screamed of a night getting laid.

Rachel had soothed that pain, for a while, but even as Danny was revelling in her newfound attention he always had the feeling in the back of his mind that he was cheating on Steve. It had been a relief really that she had gone back to New Jersey with Grace, he had been able to concentrate on Steve, getting him out of prison, clearing him and getting him home. Now though, things had gone back to the way they were, Steve surrounded by friends, happy, safe, a lover too, and Danny couldn't, wouldn't begrudge him that, he deserved it after all the crap he had been through over the last few months. If the price of that was Danny being alone again, he could pay it; he'd been alone for a couple of years already and was used to it. He was just grateful the guy knew he existed; at least he had that.

End


	5. 205

2.05 tag and missing scene

* * *

Danny parked his car in front of Kono's tidy house and sat there for a moment, looking at the building thoughtfully. His teammate (whatever anyone said she would be his teammate, and ergo part of his family (yes, Steven, _ergo_)) had been ignoring his calls since the crap had hit the fan and he was not happy about it. So he was here, and he was not going to go away without telling her a few things. So he got out of the car, locked it and walked through the gate up the path to the front door with purposeful steps.

Kono opened the door before he had even knocked, and she smiled at him, a little worriedly but it seemed genuine. She looked around him to see if he was alone before opening the door fully to let him in, and he could understand her concern. He let her close the door behind him before he simply enfolded her in a tight hug. She 'oofed' a little in surprise, but relaxed and hugged him back. "Danny." she murmured, and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I missed you. But you shouldn't be here."

Danny hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he replied. "Twit." he admonished her fondly. "I'm just sorry I haven't been here sooner."

Kono pulled away so she could look him in the face, and she looked guilty. "I know you have been here." she admitted to him, and let him go to step back. "I didn't want to see you, so didn't let you in last time. I'm sorry, Danny."

The man in question shook his head and smiled at her. "I wouldn't want to see me either." he answered, making her smile again. He looked her up and down with his critical eye. "You do know you have to eat, right?" he asked dryly. "I think my cane is wider than you."

The grin this time made her eyes sparkle like they used to, and he counted that as a big win. She looked him up and down too and he knew she would comment on something. "Tell you what, Danny." she retorted fondly. "You sleep, I'll eat. Deal?"

He nodded and laughed quietly, of course she had seen the dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he'd been punched, several times. "Deal." he agreed, and they fist bumped each other. "Now, tell me what's going on with you, and what I can do to help,"

Kono looked even more unsure but eventually began to speak. The tale she wove for him rendered him virtually speechless, something almost unheard of in the time she had known him. Because he was angry, she realised, and sat back to watch him blow.

Danny stood and quickly walked away from her, glaring down at his clenched fists while he tried to get his temper under control. He was astounded she had agreed, but he knew why she had – Chin had shown her the meaning of loyalty – but he was so pissed that Fryer had demanded it of her, blackmailed her into throwing herself into a dangerous situation, for him. He turned to face her and shook his head. "You shouldn't have done that for me, Kono." he told her firmly. "I'm not worth putting your life and career on the line."

Kono shook her head too. "Yes, you are, Danny." she disagreed. "You all are, and I would do it again."

He shook his head. "Fryer had no right blackmailing you with us, with me. I have nothing he can take from me, absolutely nothing." He took a breath when Kono shook her head stubbornly again, and walked back over to her.

"Kono, I literally have nothing left Fryer can take from me," he explained to her, calming down a bit. "My apartment building has been sold to make way for condos, my kid has gone, and she is the reason I'm living here, I got fired anyway because Wo Fat killed Jameson and only got my job back because McGarrett did. And," he added with an expansive wave of his hands. "And, this new Governor guy has given us a babysitter, and I think Steve is thinking about replacing me with her. So," he said with a sigh and sat heavily back down on the sofa again. "The only thing I have left is my car, and that is all paid for with what was left of my savings that I didn't use getting to this pineapple infested hell hole. The one that SuperSEAL drives more often than I do. What can Fryer take from me?"

Kono had listened to him and had to try hard not to stare at him open mouthed at his litany of woes. She had tried to keep tabs on her friends, her ohana, but it was difficult in her position. She had thought he was okay, that he was back to work with his partner, but here he was, admitting to being worried about being replaced. She shook her head and laid a hand on his arm that was nearest to him, squeezing gently. "He can't replace you." she assured him. "He wouldn't. Steve wouldn't be anything without you, Danny. At all."

It was quite clear the other detective didn't believe her, and she was privy to something that she had thought didn't exist – Danny Williams, under all that bluster, noise and anger, really had self esteem issues and she really hadn't expected that. At all. She didn't know whether she was pleased that he had let her view it, or horrified that one of the foundations of her life for the last year wasn't as strong as she had thought he was. But she studied him for a few moments and realised something else; that he trusted her enough to see it, to tell her things he would keep secret from others, even though she was technically not working with him at the moment. And that was a gift that needed to be repaid. "Danny." she said softly to him, and surprised him by embracing him tightly, arms around his shoulders and pulling him close to her. "Everything will work out, you'll see."

Danny hugged her back, not too tightly in case she broke – she really was no wider than a stick. "Thanks." he murmured into her shoulder, and took a few moments before lifting his head to look at her. "And here I was trying to make you feel better." he commented, dryly amused.

Kono laughed quietly and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "You are, haole." she assured him fondly. "You are. Now, you ready for lunch?" she added after a few more moments of reassuring each other. He nodded mutely and they let each other go, both a little embarrassed about their actions. "You were saying about lunch?" Danny asked after a moment or two, and she nodded and stood, agreeing with his tacit request to drop his lapse.

* * *

Between them they rummaged through Kono's small kitchen and came up with a decent spread, and they made small talk while they ate at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. It reminded Kono of why she missed being with him, with the rest of her ohana so much it hurt sometimes, but also why she was doing what she was. For them, and despite what Danny said, she knew he and the others were worth the job she was doing. But it was a relief to have been able to tell someone that she knew cared about her, she hadn't known how difficult it would be to cut herself off from the other three people in her team when she had agreed to do this for Fryer. And it was not a surprise really that it had been _Danny _that had gotten it out of her, he was a great detective after all and she had seen him in action before. Where Steve used vinegar to get information out of some people, Danny used honey to get it out of others, and she, like others, wasn't immune.

They spent a nice hour or two just chatting about everything and anything, apart from work, regaling each other about stories about people they had known before they knew each other. Both were trying so hard not to hurt each other with the present, and it was working, Kono had not laughed so much since almost a month ago when her world had disintegrated, along with Danny's. But it was cut short when they both suddenly heard the same thing – a car door slam, in front of the house.

"You expecting visitors?" Danny asked Kono quickly when she looked up at her wall clock, a horrified expression on her face.

With a nod she stood. "I didn't realise what the time was." she said quickly as she looked around the place, somewhere for him to hide. "It's gonna be them, the guys I'm supposed to be working for. They can't find you here, Danny," she said, trying to fight the rising panic. The house was small, there wasn't even a way out the back he could slip out of, and she could feel her blood pressure sky rocket – he had come here to make sure she was okay, and it looked like he was going to pay for it, badly.

Danny shook his head and stood as well, taking both of her arms in his hands. "Calm down." he said firmly to her. "My car is parked outside, they've probably spotted it by now. If I'm not in view when they get here then they're going to know something is up. I'm a friend, Kono; we've had a great lunch and spent the time commiserating. Which we have." he told her firmly, his voice calm and steady, watching her with those all seeing blue eyes. "It'll be okay. I have your back."

She nodded and took a few deep breathes, calming herself as she would when riding a huge wave. Like he said, they were friends and had spent the morning commiserating, and she was not going to let anyone, bad cop or not, take his friendship from her. "Okay." she assured him when she was under control again. "But once I introduce you, you've got to go, please Danny." she pleaded with him. "I'm getting somewhere with this, and I think it'll be over soon, but I really need to make sure you're okay."

Danny didn't like it, but he could hear at least two people talking as they walked to the front door and he reluctantly nodded. "You have my phone number, Babe." he said to her firmly. "Use it, if you get in trouble, or anything else. You got me?"

She nodded as there was a strong knock on the front door. "I got you." she agreed, and meant it too, if there was anyone she wanted to support her in all this, it was him. "I promise."

He smiled and let her go but not before quickly pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I have your back." he said again, and she knew he meant it.

She nodded, and left him in the kitchen to jog over to the front door. "Coming!" she yelled as Frank called her name. She glanced back over at her kitchen before she unlatched the front door, and smiled as she saw Danny simply clearing up the plates and such from their lunch as if nothing untoward was happening. Putting her game face on as she had seen him, Steve and Chin do before, she quickly opened the front door and smiled at her next visitors. "Frank." she greeted him, and nodded at the other guy. "Come in."

She stood back and watched as the pair of men walked into her house, and saw the moment Frank's buddy noticed the other man humming to himself in the kitchen. Danny was standing over the sink at that point, rinsing off a plate, and he turned round when he heard one of the new comer's walk over to him. With a smile he looked the guy up and down and held out his hand. "Hi." he greeted Delano. "Danny. Pleased to meet you."

Delano smiled at him and his friendly attitude and shook his hand. "Frank." he replied. "Are you a friend of Kono's?"

Danny nodded and took his hand back. "She's been teaching me and my daughter to surf." he explained to him and smiled at her from over Delano's shoulder. "She's got a lot of patience."

Kono relaxed a little, not a lot, but enough to laugh quietly and nod. "Danny is not a natural on a board." she commented fondly. "But he's too stubborn to give up."

Delano nodded. He recognised the shorter man from somewhere, but he couldn't place him. "Is that your Camaro outside?" he asked instead. He did want to question him, he wanted to know who he was and whether he needed to worry about him, about Kono too, but he didn't want to spook his newest recruit. "Sweet ride." he commented when Danny nodded.

The guy smiled his agreement. "It is that." he acknowledged, and then quickly looked down at his watch. "I've gotta go, Babe." he said and walked out of arms reach of Delano towards Kono again. "I've got to go pick up Grace. Can I call you to arrange another lesson?"

Kono smiled and nodded, and stepped close to him to hug him. "Thanks, Danny." she murmured in his ear. And louder: "No problem, Brah."

Danny hugged her back. "Got your back." he reiterated, also quietly, then louder: "Grace will love it." They pulled away and Danny turned back to the other two, Delano and his companion that hadn't spoken. "Nice to meet you both." he told them, as he walked over to the door. Delano and the other guy nodded at him and watched him go, both men quickly moving to the windows as he closed the front door behind him and walked away, through the front yard of the house and to his car. Danny could feel them watching him, the itching on his shoulders as he tried his hardest not to pull out his phone and call for some backup, or jog to the car, or turn round, bang on the door and drag Kono back out with him to safety. It was difficult, but he managed it, and he turned and waved at the trio watching him as he unlocked the car and got back in. He just hoped Kono was going to be okay, that Delano, she had told him his full name, didn't grill her too much about him. But he trusted her, he had watched her mature from a rookie to a tough, strong young woman in just over a year and he knew she could look after herself, he had seen her in action. That didn't stop him from worrying about her though, at all.

He quickly drove away from the house, knowing that the other two guys would think it odd if he sat in the car watching them, and thought hard about what he was going to do now. She had explained what was going on, under some duress, and had demanded he didn't tell anyone, especially Chin, and he understood her caution. If Chin found out about it he would go nuts, ruin her cover and pull her out, and Fryer would just try and use something else, or someone else to get what he wanted. Kono was strong enough to deal with this, Danny knew, but someone else put in the same position by the IAD detective might not be. And Danny really, _really _wanted to put a bullet right between Fryer's piggy eyes for what he was doing. He couldn't, and he couldn't break his promise to Kono, she wouldn't trust him again. All he could do was hope she would call him if and when she needed his help, and make sure he was there for her.

* * *

She called the next day, as Danny had hoped she would, and he was not that surprised. He had known as soon as he had heard that Kono had been the driver, that she was in trouble, and had expected her panicked call. Steve had just given out orders, "find her, bring her in. Danny, with Lori" and as the other detective jogged back to his car, the profiler on his tail, his phone had rung. It was Kono, and Danny made the decision then not to make it obvious who he was talking to.

"Danny!" she called to him as soon as he answered. "What do I do? He's dead!"

Danny quickly pulled out his blue tooth head set he didn't use often from where he kept it in the glove compartment – in between the grenades – attached it and set it. He glanced at Lori who was watching him as he did so, and then simply shrugged and fired up the big engine of the car. "Got your back." he told Kono on the phone, and pointedly ignored his passenger as he drove his car out onto the highway. "Where?" he asked, and with that simple word she knew everything was going to work out.

The next few minutes were a blur for her, she pulled over, took a deep breath as he stopped his car behind hers, followed quickly by Steve behind him. She knew the boss man wouldn't be far behind his partner, he would never let the haole in a dangerous situation on his own, however good Danny was at this. So she wasn't surprised when Steve leapt out of his truck, gun already in hand, in the stance he used with other perps, just a bit dismayed, but she knew she couldn't really expect anything else – she hadn't given him any reason to do otherwise. It was also a surprise when she got out of the car that there was a blond woman backing up Danny, who stayed back, and it was the woman that got up close and personal and cuffed her hands. Danny, standing behind Steve, didn't like it, and he was going to say something about it, but she shook her head slightly at him, hoping he would keep his displeasure to himself, just this once – she could deal with the disappointed looks she was getting from McGarrett, she didn't think Danny could deal with it at the moment though.

Danny stood back at the bust and at HQ when they brought Kono in, but he didn't like it, not one little bit. Lori cuffing his team mate was something he really didn't want to let happen, but Kono shook her head at him to stop him from leaping in, and he reluctantly let her deal with it. But as soon as Steve started on her in the interrogation cell he found himself stepping forward, ready to pull him back, literally, from her. Kono looked at him with wide eyes as Steve started on her, and he nodded, hoping she would figure out he was telling her it was okay to come clean now. Especially when he laid a calming hand on Steve's arm to literally pull him back. "Let her talk." he said to his partner, ignoring the glare the Commander aimed his way.

Kono trusted him implicitly, Danny had always been steady for her, and she knew he wasn't going to stop now. So she started to talk, came clean, and explained everything. It helped that Fryer turned up half way through to back up her explanations, and she was pleased when Danny quickly unlocked the handcuff from her wrist and stood next to her while she was talking.

* * *

Steve was pissed, beyond pissed, and Chin? Zen was not going to help him with this towering anger and betrayal, that his baby cousin had been used by a man in IAD with a grudge against his own ex partner. He turned on Fryer, but Steve got there first, and punched him out. But there was something else niggling at him, something that he couldn't really put his finger on until later, much later, when he had time to think about it.

Kono had been looking at Danny when she was explaining, why Danny? So he quickly went back to the tech table when he had a few moments during the clean up and quickly pulled up the CCTV from the interrogation. They were all there, Kono in the hot seat, something he had really hated to see, and he watched her, eagle eyed.

There is was, Danny had nodded at her when Kono had looked at him, over Steve's shoulder when the Commander had demanded she explain, and she had started talking, only after Danny had said. He had known, _Danny had known_ and that shattered all of Chin's Zen control, there and then. He looked around and saw the haole walking in with Steve, talking to Kono and her bandaged arm, and didn't that piss him off even more?

Danny looked up in shock when a body barrelled into him and he was shoved, hard against the glass wall of their offices. He looked up to see Chin, snarling with rage, hands clenched in Danny's shirt, shoving him again. "You knew!" the other detective shouted into his face, in a show of anger they'd never seen from him before. "You knew, and you said nothing!"

Steve and Kono had both been surprised at the actions of their teammate and relative, and both had come to Danny's aid, trying to pull the other man off him. But he was too angry, and Steve too confused to do much.

Danny though, looked calmly at his friend, who was at that moment deciding whether to punch him or shoot him, and nodded. "Yes, I did," he told him, his voice steady. He didn't raise his arms or fight back, he understood Chin's anger, and if their positions were reversed he knew he would be doing the same things. "I did know."

Chin calmed down at his words and some of his anger turned to hurt. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked him, demanded of him. "We could have…"

Danny shook his head. "If we had waded in, like you're thinking we should, Delano would have killed Kono," he explained bluntly. "And I didn't say anything, because she asked me not to. I trust her, Chin, she's a good cop, and she could handle it."

Chin huffed in disbelief and let him go, but not before shoving him again, back against the glass. "But we should have…"

"But nothing!" Kono stepped up, putting herself in between Danny and Chin. "He asked me, he was there for me, and he _trusted me_, Chin. You were there to demand things from me I couldn't give you; you didn't give me any option to explain. You just expected me to tell you everything, like the good little girl you still expect me to be! Danny at least recognised that I am good at what I do, and that, a lot of that, is because I had him as a training officer." Her anger was justified in Danny's eyes, she had explained that Chin had gone over to see her but had demanded things from her, and he knew that the other guy would probably have pulled her out and wrapped her up in cotton to protect her. But that was not what she had signed up for as a cop.

Steve was frowning, looking between them all, and he turned to Danny first. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked him, walking closer to him. "To me at least."

Danny shook his head and studied his partner. "Because Kono asked me not to," he said again, and straightened up, smoothing down his shirt. "And…" He stopped and looked at him, really looked at him. He was going to say that he was scared that Steve would get all the information out of him and then put Weston on the case, rather than trust Danny's judgement, as he would have done previously, but his partner looked bewildered and a bit lost, an expression Danny hated to put on his face. So he didn't. Instead "And you have enough to deal with without something like this. I knew she could deal with it, I made sure she knew I'd have her back, as I do with you." He turned to Chin. "And you too, Chin Ho Kelly," he added firmly. "Even after you've almost ruined my favourite shirt." He tutted and smoothed the wrinkles the other guy had put in it again, but didn't miss the small smile he got out of Chin in response.

Steve sighed and looked up at Kono, realising a lot of things. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you," he apologised sincerely. "I called, but…"

"I know," she replied, and smiled at him. "I didn't know what to say to you, so I didn't answer. Danny, well…" she added and looked fondly over at the man in question, who was muttering to himself and walking away from them, back to the relative safety of his office. "Danny forced his way into my house and didn't leave again until I told him what was going on. You know what he's like."

Steve followed her eyes and watched his diminutive partner and best friend walk away from him, and nodded. Yes, the Commander had forced him to be his partner when they had first met, but he had never regretted it, his only regrets were that Danny obviously didn't have as much confidence in himself as Steve did in him. "Yeah," he said fondly, and looked back at her. "I trust you, too, Kono," he assured her. "And you have no idea how glad I am to have you back, and that I punched out Fryer. But I think I need to speak to Danny, and you need to speak to Chin."

She nodded. "You need to make sure he knows you're not going to replace him with Officer Weston," she said firmly to him as she looked over at her cousin. "He's scared about that, he told me."

Steve hadn't even thought about that, but he could understand how his friend might think that, now that someone had put that thought in his head. "Thanks," he said gratefully, and left her after patting her shoulder awkwardly. She laughed quietly as he jogged over and into Danny's office, and watched as he surprised his partner by moving up behind him and hugging him quickly from behind. Knowing Danny was going to be okay with that, she walked over to her cousin and attempted to make it right with him, too.

End


	6. 206

2.06

(I really don't like Joe White, if you do, you may not like this one...)

* * *

Steve stared at Joe for a few moments in shock as the words he spoke went through his mind – "how many more lives is it going to take?" and turned away. He grabbed his phone and quickly jogged back over to his truck, speed dialling his partner and best friend as he did so. "Danny!" he said loudly as the man in question answered on the second ring. "Where are you?"

Danny looked around his virtually packed up apartment and sighed. "Nowhere important." he assured him. "Where are you? Are you all right?"

"Mokoto's house." Steve told him as he climbed into the relative safety of his vehicle. "Joe sent me a text. Mokoto's been killed."

Danny frowned and stood straight. "How did he know?" he asked, a question Steve was asking himself as he sat and watched his old mentor. Joe was just standing on the drive, watching the SEAL himself, doing nothing, saying nothing. Just watching.

"I don't know." Steve answered him. "He said Wo Fat was at his place yesterday and they got into it. But I don't know how he got here."

Danny thought for one moment and then walked over to one of the boxes and grabbed his badge, gun and car keys. "Have you called HPD?" he asked him quickly. "Have you been in the house?"

"No and no." Steve admitted after a pause. "I called you first. Should I…?"

"No." Danny ordered firmly. "Wait for me. We've got to do this properly, Steve. I've just got you back, I'm not going to lose you again because you went in all guns blazing. You got me?" he said firmly. "If that old man has been murdered, we've got to do this properly, and that means you stay out of the house. Do you get me?" he said again, in a tone Steve knew well.

"Yes, Danny, I get you," Steve agreed, and smiled wryly.

Danny jogged out of his apartment, locking the door behind him quickly, and to his Camaro parked outside. He was concerned, the last thing he wanted was something like this to happen again – to lose his partner, his best friend because of something Wo Fat might have done, again. And what the hell was Joe doing? How would he know the old man had been killed? He quickly put his phone in the cradle on the dash, pressed the speaker, and fired up the big engine of his car. "Where is Joe?" he asked his partner as he quickly pulled the vehicle out of the apartment complex. "Where are you? Exactly?"

"In my truck, in Mokoto's front yard." the Commander answered him. "Joe's outside, just looking at me."

Danny paused in the conversation while he blasted through an intersection, lights on full, using his cop prerogative to get there as soon as he could. "Lock the doors." he told him and looked around. "It's going to take me about ten minutes to get to you." He could hear his partner take a breath to try and explain why he was going to get back out again, but Danny's shitometer was screaming at him, and it was yelling "Joe White". "Steve." he said firmly. "Just stay in the car until I get there. Please."

Steve huffed and found himself nodding. "All right." he agreed, and answered the questions his partner shot at him.

* * *

Soon enough Steve spotted the Camaro as Danny drove it through the gates to Mokoto's yard. He got out of his own vehicle and met his partner as Danny got out of his, knowing well enough that Joe was still watching them. "He told me that more people would get killed if I continued chasing Wo Fat." the Commander told his friend quietly. "Like Mokoto." He looked up at Joe, still standing where he had been, not looking at all surprised that the detective was there. "Is he right?"

Danny shook his head and laid a hand on his arm. "No." he said firmly and glared over at the older SEAL in question. "We're gonna find out who did this, and make them pay. This is our job, Steve. Do you understand?"

Steve huffed again, but nodded, and was reassured no end when Danny squeezed his arm tighter. "Call Chin, Babe." Danny told him. "Get him to start the ball rolling. And don't believe a word about this being anything other than the killer's fault. Okay? Babe? Okay?" he asked again when his partner paused.

Steve nodded and lifted his phone. "Okay." he agreed, and showed him he was dialling Chin.

Danny nodded and turned to face White. He let go of Steve's arm and walked over to the other man, putting on his game face as he did so. "What happened, White?" Steve heard him say. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

Joe gave him some cock and bull story about being called by the old man, but Danny was having none of it. He shook his head and cut him off mid flow. "If you were a SEAL surely they taught you how to lie better than that." he told him derisively. "Did you kill him?" he asked him bluntly when White just glared at him, ineffectively. "Is that how you knew he was dead? And why did you not call in that Wo Fat went to see you yesterday? Are you working for him?"

Joe's eyes widened in shock at that one, and Danny knew he was surprised at the accusation. "No!" the older guy protested. "How could you suggest that? The guy's a killer, Williams."

"Really?" Danny asked, his tone arid. "And you're not? Did you, or did you not, kill Mokoto?" he demanded, noting that the other guy hadn't answered his question.

"No, I did not." White snapped at him. "Wo Fat did, because he's scared Steve is getting too close." He looked round him and spotted the other SEAL on the phone, standing next to Danny's car, but Steve was watching them as much as Joe was watching him. "I told Steve he shouldn't keep digging, that more of this is going to happen."

"And that makes you the asshole." Danny snapped at him in response, making White stare at him in surprise again. "Don't lay this on Steve." he told him, and used a finger to poke him, hard, in the shoulder. "It's not his fault all this shit is going on around him."

White was going to pull a stunt that the other Commander had done the first time he had met the fiery blond detective in front of him, grab his hand, twist his arm up and behind his back, but Danny was no fool and stepped back before he could end up on his knees again. "I won't let you put my partner down, White." he snarled at him. "I won't let Wo Fat do it either. The only reason I'm not arresting you for murder is because of that man behind me, but that doesn't mean you get a free pass. If I find any evidence in that house that implicates you, I'm coming for you, got that?"

Joe could see the anger and sincerity in his eyes and realised he had underestimated the diminutive detective in front of him. He had waded straight through the tale White had carefully thought up and seen right through him. Which was dangerous, to him, to Steve, and to Danny. "You won't," he said firmly and stepped around him. "Don't forget Williams," he added, planning to leave with his parting shot. "You called me in."

"And don't I regret that?" Danny shouted after him, turning on his heel to make sure the guy left without accosting his partner. "You've brought nothing but questions and more lies with you!"

White just shook his head and strode away, past Steve without looking at him, out of the front gate of the house and towards his own car he had stashed out of the way. Danny was right, he knew it, he hadn't really helped with getting McGarrett out, the Commander had done that himself and his partner had gotten the evidence to clear him. White was there to protect himself, and John McGarrett's secrets, but, with the pair of them on his case, he didn't know how long he could continue to do that.

End


	7. 207

Tag 2.07

* * *

Steve was pissed, very pissed, and it took a few minutes for him to realise what he was annoyed about. First and foremost was Lori calling Danny 'Danno' as she walked away, that was his and Grace's name for him, no-one else. And he was pissed about Danny's simple way of faith, that 'people made up stuff to make themselves feel better'. He could understand some of that, but it was surprising from Danny, a man who felt so much, who had so much faith in others, but he had none of his own. Steve himself was brought up in a Christian household, but his mother and Chin and others had taught him about the native Hawaiian spirits that he felt, he _knew _they were real and watching over them.

Which was something else he was pissed at, Danny had given so much for this place, coming here for his daughter, giving up everything he had known and loved in a heartbeat to be with here, and giving virtually everything he had to protect her, the people live here, and the islands themselves. So being cursed by ancient spirits was not fair, or right for him. Just because he stepped on some land that others had deemed sacred and had been defiled before Danny had even known it was there was simply not fair.

But there wasn't a lot he could do about it, about all of it anyway. One thing he could do, which was what he was doing now. "Officer Weston, a word." he ordered as he walked back into the 5-0 HQ and saw her there. He didn't even stop to look at her as he walked straight past and into his office, just stood at the door, holding it open for her.

Lori looked at Kono next to her with a frown, but the other officer shrugged – she had seen Steve scared, angry, closed down, laughing like it was going out of fashion, calm, caring, fond, even loving, but this seemingly forced calmness was something she hadn't seen from him. Danny might know, but he was out doing something for the case, and then he was going to meet up with Chin and get back here, but that could be in an hour or two.

Weston took a breath and walked over to where her boss was waiting, and tried not to think that the sound of his office door shutting behind them reminded her of one of the coffins they had looked at earlier.

"Steve, what..?" she began as she stood in the middle of his office, watching as he walked over to one of the windows looking out at the park in front of the building.

"It's Commander." he told her firmly, and turned back to her to watch her reactions.

She took a step back from him and looked down at her feet before looking back up at his face. "Okay, _Commander_." she retorted darkly. "What can I do for you?"

He smiled at her humourlessly. "You can stop calling Detective Williams 'Danno'." he told her firmly, and watched her again. He could read people, not as well or as thoroughly as Danny could, he knew it, but he had been doing it for a long time, so he could see the surprise on her face. She was not expecting that, she had been thinking this was going to be something far more serious, but that was where she was wrong, again. It was serious, and she needed to know about it.

"Excuse me?" she asked him, wondering whether she had heard him correctly. "What is wrong with 'Danno'?"

"He doesn't like it." Steve explained to her. "His daughter calls him that, I do, and a couple of other members of his family. That's it, no one else, Chin and Kono don't do it, neither do you. Got it?"

Lori was aghast, she was getting a dressing down because of a nickname? "Are you kidding me?" she demanded, only stopping stamping her foot by huge strength of will. "It's just a nickname!"

Steve laughed at her and shook his head. "You are supposed to be a profiler." he retorted, only one of his hands clenching at his side showing his actual agitation. "But you seem to be crap at it. Danny doesn't like it because it reminds him of what he gave up to be here, and what he goes through every day. He's having a difficult enough time without people rubbing it in. So don't do it."

Lori frowned, confused. "You do it." she replied shortly.

He nodded. "Because we've talked about it," he explained. "I understand his problems, he understands why I call him that, and we've spoken about it, at length." He wasn't going to tell her that it was normally during one of Danny's rants that they talk about it, and Steve did it because he loved to see Danny riled up and ready to blow – the energy that came from him when that happened, his passion, and even his vocabulary when he went off on one. He loved it, and he wasn't about to let someone else revel in Danny's attention, whoever they were. "Don't do it. And before you tell me that he's not said anything to you, he will, and he may not be as polite about it as I am. Do? You? Understand?" he asked her firmly.

Lori looked at him for a moment and saw that he was completely serious, and, despite the way she had been forced into this dysfunctional little group, she liked her job. She nodded. "I understand, Commander." she complied. "Anything else?"

Steve shook his head. "No." he said to her. "Thank you for your understanding, Officer." he added formally, using that title to let her know exactly who was in charge, put in by the Governor or not. "Carry on working with Kono. Dismissed." he ordered and watched her turn on her heels and walked out of his office again. That had felt good and one problem dealt with, he didn't think she would do it again. Now to get on with the next problem; faith. If Danny didn't have faith in anything otherworldly, maybe he could persuade him to have some faith in the people around him, specifically Steve.

End


	8. 208

2.08

* * *

Steve, despite acting to the opposite, didn't really mind the dog being around. He made Danny smile after all, stopped that almost perpetual frown marring his forehead, even for just a little while, which was a bonus. But it also made him unhappy, with the state of his living arrangements at the moment Danny knew he couldn't keep it – which was one reason why Steve kept reminding him about taking the dog to the shelter, the longer Danny had him around the deeper he was going to fall for him.

He also hoped the same would happen with him, he was fast falling in love with his partner, and in lust too, but every time he tried to make a move, something seemed to happen, Catherine called or visited, another woman would make a move on Danny, or something else would shake his partner's foundations.

The dog, Steve thought as he watched his partner look after it, was another load on his partner's shoulders, and however broad they were they could only take so much. The animal was a reminder of just how much Danny had lost coming here, his family, friends, his job, even his dog, and Steve sighed to himself as he watched.

Did Danny even know how much he was cared for? Just how much Steve loved him? How much the rest of the team did too? The Commander didn't know about Lori, but he knew Chin and Kono felt the same way he did, well, hopefully not exactly the same way, he didn't want to have to get rid of the pair of them if they made a move on _his _partner. But he also knew he would have to do something about it, and soon. Danny couldn't take much more reminding, not only what he had lost but what he had given up when he had stayed here to help his partner, and Steve knew he had a huge hand in that. Danny deserved some good in his life, he was way beyond due, and the Commander decided he had to do something to make him realise just how much he cared about him. Living together hadn't worked, much, Steve knew he had control issues and Danny had been uncomfortable with them, he had hoped in the back of his mind that Danny would have retreated to his bedroom when he had had enough of sleeping on the couch, but no, he had just moved out. To an awful place, even worse than his old apartment, and somewhere where he couldn't have a dog.

But the next day he was surprised to see, or not see, the dog with Danny when he walked in in the morning. "No dog?" he asked his partner curiously. "Did you take him to the shelter?"

Danny shook his head and gave him that half-smug, half-pleased smile, one his partner liked to see on him. "No," he replied. "I gave him to Grace, Rachel didn't like it at first but got used to him." He grinned wider and raised a hand in the air. "Score one for the single fathers of the world."

Steve smiled and nodded, his heart raised a bit: single, Danny had classed himself as single, so there was still hope for him. If only he had the guts to make his move. But would the detective want him, after everything? Only one way to find out … "D…" he began, but Lori, as she had started to do, butted in before he could say anything more.

Monica's medal of valour was a huge gift, massive, Steve found himself speechless first of all, Danny too, but by the time he had put it up on the wall in his office his partner had disappeared back into his own, and the moment had passed. Again.

* * *

Danny sat in his office, trying to concentrate on the paperwork piled up next to him and waiting for him in his email inbox, but it was difficult. He had really wanted to keep the dog, Buddy he had called him, something, someone to spend time with, someone who wasn't going to demand anything from him apart from attention, some food and a cuddle every so often. Last night had been probably one of the nicest since Rachel had dumped him, again; with Buddy curled up with him in his crappy bed in that horrible stopgap place, the dog was warm, hadn't cared being the little spoon, and Danny had slept better last night than he had in a long time.

But he knew he couldn't keep him, he'd had to hide from the landlord already just trying to get Buddy inside, and taking him out to pee had been a ninja skill that even Steve would have been proud of.

Grace though, she had fallen for him as soon as she had set eyes on him, as he had hoped, and he had turned up at Stan's mansion that morning with Buddy in the car, timed just right for Grace to be having breakfast before she went to school. Rachel wasn't particularly happy to see him, but he was used to that, and he had ignored her for the happy squeal his daughter had emitted when she had seen him. "Danno!" she had yelled when she had seen him at the door that morning, and had pushed past her mother and leapt at him, arms wide, trusting her father to catch her. He did, he would always catch her, and they had spent some time in the front yard just telling each other about what they had been doing since they had last seen each other. Well, Grace had spoken, Danny had listened, and had steered her to the car where he had kept Buddy, and just so she could spot him on her own.

It hadn't taken long, she was his daughter after all, and noticed things much more than her mother gave her credit for. "Puppy!" she yelled and ran to the car where Buddy was sitting on the driver's seat and watching Danny out of the window. "Is he yours?"

Danny smiled and shook his head. "His name is Buddy," he said to her and reached round her to open the door. The dog leapt out and nuzzled him, and then went to see whom this new person was nearby.

Grace grinned up at her father and buried her hands in Buddy's soft hair at the top of his neck. When it was obvious he liked that, his tail was going nineteen to the dozen, she embraced his neck hugged him tight.

"He doesn't have a home, Monkey," Danny told her after a few moments of watching them bond. "His previous Mom died, and I can't keep him at my place." He shrugged and smiled to himself when Buddy virtually did what he needed him to do – he licked her face and nuzzled her, and she was in love.

"Can I have him?" she asked him, and he mentally punched the air in delight. "We'll be really good, Danno, won't we, Buddy?" she added and hugged the dog, looking up at her father with her best pleading look.

Danny was already persuaded, that was why he had come here anyway. "Your Mom might not like it," he cautioned. "You'll have to ask her."

Grace nodded and let the dog go. She stood and turned to face Rachel who was still watching them from the front door, and as soon as she saw the expression on her daughter's face she groaned. "Danny!" she called across the lawn at him, and strode over to him. "What have you said?"

Danny watched her walk over and shrugged when she got near. "Just the truth," he told her, and if she noticed the acid in his tone when he said that she didn't respond. "Buddy needs a home, I can't have him where I'm living at the moment. They seem to like each other…"

Grace looked up at her mother with the biggest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen from her, and fluttered her eyelashes. "He's got no Mommy, Mom," she told her and laid her hand on Buddy's head. "We're all he's got. Please can we keep him? Please?"

Rachel sighed and looked down at the dog. He was lovely, she had to admit, he was sitting down next to Grace, tail wagging calmly, he looked clean and well groomed, and she could see why Danny had fallen for him. But still … She grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him away from their child while she played with the dog, and stopped the other side of the car before she started on him.

"Why are you doing this, Danny?" she hissed, annoyed. "You're only going to upset Grace."

He shook his head. "_You_ are going to upset Grace," he corrected her. "You've got this huge house, huge grounds, he'll be great here. And he can be company for her when you go off and leave her with the help," he added, not hiding his disgust at that.

Rachel didn't call him on that, she knew he was right to hate that, and they did leave Grace alone when all she really needed to do was call the man in front of her and he would come running. But it was so difficult some times to watch father and daughter together walk away from her, they were so good together, he was such a good father, and some times she felt so guilty for ripping them both away from their lives in New Jersey because of her own fears. She calmed and glanced back at the two in question; Grace was hugging Buddy she thought Danny had called the dog, they were both watching the adults closely, and Rachel knew who both of them would side with if she started. And it wouldn't be her. "Why are you doing this to me, Danny?" she asked him quietly, again.

There was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he had stored up, but when he also looked over at Buddy again there was only one thing on his mind. "You killed my dog," he told her bleakly. "Among other things. The least you can do is look after this one."

Rachel looked away from him, anywhere but him, and found herself nodding. Danny had adored that dog, he'd helped rear her from a pup when her mother had rejected her, sat up with her for long nights when she was unwell, spent hours walking and playing with her, and it was watching Danny with the dog that reassured Rachel that he would be a great father. She hadn't been wrong about that, but she had been so angry when they had split that she had been cruel beyond words, she knew that now. She had ripped him apart when he had found her and Stan in their bed, she knew that, and then she had let Stan's lawyers stamp on what was left of him by taking his child and his dog as well. But time had softened her, she had been furious that he hadn't turned into the man she had wanted him to be, and had taken than out on him. The dog had died because of her, she knew that, because she had been too selfish to let him be the man he wanted to be, rather than what she had wanted from him, and she had… betrayed him when he had fought her on it. He'd loved that dog, but he hadn't been able to see her for the last six months of her life, she had died in alone in a kennel, and Rachel hadn't had the courage or respect for him to tell him herself, she had gotten Stan's lawyer to send him a note.

Danny had turned up at their doorstep two weeks later, glared at her in fury and hatred, and had taken Grace who had been so happy to see him.

So she didn't argue with him now, because he was right – she had killed his dog, and she had killed other things as well. But at least now he seemed to be getting over some of the things she had done to him, if what Grace was telling her was true. She couldn't help some of it, she spotted that he had made sure he did not look at her growing belly, he had been so very silent when she had admitted that she had probably got the dates wrong and the baby wasn't his after being so ebulliently happy when she had first told him it was.

She had played with him, and she did deserve some retribution from him in return. The dog was the least he could do, and she knew it to, so she didn't fight him, for once. "All right," she said after a few moments and looked up at his slightly smug smile. "What did you call him?"

"Buddy," he replied, and before she could say anything else he walked away from her back to Grace and the dog in question. She could hear Gracie's squeal of delight from there, and she turned to face them to watch.

He had knelt beside them both, a strong arm around each of them, and she knew then that, whatever she did to the contrary, both Grace and Buddy were always going to be Danny's. She could live with that.

* * *

Even though he'd had a minor triumph that morning Danny still missed Buddy, having him around in the office had been good, stuffing Steve in the back of the Camaro while he drove and the dog was shotgun had been great, the look on his great goof's face when he had told him to get in the back and get over it was one he was going to savour for a while to come. He could see it now, the disbelief that A) Danny had snatched his car keys back from him, and B) had usurped him from the passenger seat into the back was great. And then aneurism face :3.5 had appeared every time he had looked in the rear view, making him grin. But, this time, he thought to himself, at least he had the opportunity to go and get Buddy again, whenever he had Grace and somewhere to stay with him, so he could do that again. And it was the thought of that that put a soft smile on his face when someone walked into his office and put a mug of steaming coffee in front of him.

"What's with the face, Danno?" Steve asked him as he sat down in the chair in front of his desk with his own mug.

Danny looked up at him with a wider grin and took the gift he had come bearing. "Just the look on your face when you were in the back of the car," he explained to him. "You were pouting,"

"I was not!" Steve protested, amused. "SEALs don't pout! And besides, my legs are a bit longer than yours, in case you hadn't noticed." he added. "I was almost folded in half in the back."

Danny laughed at him and leant back in his chair, watching him with a grin. "You'll be pleased to know I have unlimited access to Buddy now," he informed him, amused. "I can pick him up any day, so you might want to start bringing your own car to work if you don't want to be tucked in the back of mine again."

Steve shook his head and grinned at him over the rim of his own mug and watched as his partner sipped his own brew. It was quite rare to see him so relaxed and happy, the SEAL thought to himself as he watched him, so he was going to enjoy even this little interlude. "I don't know about that, Danno," he retorted, knowing exactly what the response was going to be. "Why should I bother filling mine up with fuel when I can use yours all day?"

One…two…three…and he's off!

Steve sat back and watched as Danny started on one of his rants, the same sort of thing, arms waving, pointing, plenty of "my car, Stephen, not yours, mine!"s, a few unusual words, a couple he had to try out himself. "Obstreperous, Danny, really?" he queried when it seemed his partner was losing steam somewhat.

"Yes, Stephen, and of course that would be the only thing you would take from that!" Danny retorted, and he was off again, and Steve sat back and enjoyed the show.

End


	9. 209

2.09

* * *

Danny sighed to himself after yet another argument about Steve's house rules – no TV after midnight, 3 minute showers, etc, etc, etc… and wondered about the state of his life. He was 35, headed for 36, and he really hadn't thought he'd be in this state – the only thing he owned was his car, that he didn't get to drive very often, sleeping on his partner's couch, on a sun baked volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. His daughter spent more time with a guy she called "_StepStan"_ than she did with him, his ex wife was jerking him round on a string, and the ME wasn't talking to them.

But the main problem he had was with his crazy SuperSEAL of a partner. The guy was nuts, had a barely concealed death wish but denied it, control and daddy issues to the max, and a serious weapon fetish: the bigger the better.

Even that was minor compared to the main problem Danny had with him. The guy was freaking gorgeous, tall, ripped, inked, strong, intelligent, and when he grinned that wide, wide smile the sun dimmed. Danny was smitten, but said SuperSEAL was straight as a dye, and he only had eyes for the ocean and Catherine Rollins. Danny knew that because he had seen the wide sunny grin at full force when Lieutenant Rollins had turned up at his door a couple of days after Halawa, and Danny might as well have been a dust mote for the attention he got after that. So he had hightailed it out of there, left the house in his own car and spent a depressed evenings on his own in his crappy apartment with beer, bad TV and his own thoughts. He'd gone into work early, Steve had wandered in an hour or two later, relaxed, calm and happy, he had obviously gotten laid. A lot.

And, here he was in the middle of the stupid ocean, with a red headed Irishman tied up to a metal A-frame, and Steve threatening to beat the living shit out of their main suspect. And Danny didn't have a problem with that. He even felt pretty good about letting that idiot know the ballistics on the gun had matched several murders – he hadn't thought he was a vindictive SOB, until he gave his heart to someone who didn't want it, and he had to deal with it, daily. Every time Steve told him he was going to meet Catherine it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, every time someone even _looked _at **HIS SEAL **in the wrong way he wanted to kill them. He knew he had to move out as soon as possible, he couldn't stay there much longer, knowing Steve got naked upstairs, a lot, and he couldn't look or touch. Ever.

He was so, so, SO screwed.

End


	10. 210

2.10

* * *

Danny sat back in the and kept an eye out on the terrain below, he wouldn't put it past Wo Fat to have a stash of weapons or more side kicks somewhere and try to shoot them out of the sky. He couldn't believe it had actually worked, that they were here, in North Korea, in a helicopter called Tangerine that last saw action just before he was born, or that he was checking terrain that reminded him of Apocalypse Now for missile-toting bad guys.

They had succeeded, and that thought kept running though his brain – even as he relaxed just a bit from the state of panic had he had been in since Steve had told him of his hair-brained plan to go this place, on his own. He managed to joke with Chin without choking, but found himself watching his partner when he should have been looking outside.

Steve looked battered, bruised, tired, confused as well when he thought no-one was looking, frowning down at the AK in his hands as if it held the secrets to the universe. Looking at him Danny was pleased they had brought medical supplies with them, and he could be certain that at least one of the SEALs had as extensive first aid training as Steve. He was going to need it.

Steve seemed to know when Danny had eyes on him, because he blinked up at him and held his gaze for a long time. The longer Steve studied him, the more his expression morphed into relief, as if he was finally believing he was free and not hallucinating. He managed a smile when Danny nodded and gave him a smile, small but enough to assure him. "It's okay," the Jersey detective mouthed at him, and made a show of putting his weapon down, across his knees.

Steve relaxed and copied him, which was what his partner had wanted, and put the AK on the floor next to him. He leant against Joe's legs, suddenly exhausted, but he didn't want to lose sight of Danny. His partner, whom he had no doubt, had orchestrated this rescue, who had his back even in a country he shouldn't even know existed. He opened his mouth to try and say something, anything to thank him, but Danny shook his head and smiled a bit wider, mouthing, "it's okay" again. Steve figured out what he meant and relaxed ever further, closing his eyes eventually.

Danny watched as his partner and best friend leant heavily against Joe's legs and closed his eyes. If he could rest now, and on the flight back to Oahu, Danny could relax himself.

But they weren't out of the woods yet, they were still over North Korea, and the rest of the team were still looking around them and checking the vicinity in the air and on the ground. Joe, hand still on Steve's shoulder, glanced over at Danny and noted him watching them carefully. "We're coming up on the border," he told the detective. "Then we can get him some help on the flight back. Do you know someone in a hospital on the islands that won't ask too many questions?"

Danny nodded. "Malia and Bob work at HMC," he answered him. "They'll make sure he'll be okay."

Joe nodded and turned back to his own scrutiny of the surrounding area. Steve's weight was heavy against his legs, his head slumped against his knee as he rested, but the older SEAL knew he was actually leaning against the shorter detective a few feet away. Joe had seen just how Danny had, and continued to support and back up Steve McGarrett, the way he had called him when Steve had been arrested and then with this, coming to find him when he found himself in trouble again, showed Joe that. Danny though, was a conundrum to the older SEAL, he had come to him for help with Steve, not thought twice about coming to a hostile country without the sanctions of his own government or the North Koreans, running the risk of being captured here and being executed as a spy, or arrested at home and spending the rest of his life in prison for treason. But he had left Joe and driven back to HQ via his daughter's school to speak to her before he had met them all at the airport, got on a flight and picked up an automatic weapon without a qualm, using it and killing however many of Wo Fat's people without pause.

From what Joe had found out when he had checked up on the Detective he had made an assumption that he was a cop, and that was about it. But he was much more than that, so much more, and if Wo Fat figured that out Joe knew Danny was going to be the next on his list, if he wasn't there already.

* * *

Danny really didn't want to leave Steve alone on the flight back, so he didn't. The pilot landed the helo back where they had left Kono and she was bouncing on the balls of her feet, waiting for a sign, any sign, that they had been successful. Chin leapt out and grinned at her, Danny got out next, and the pair of them, with some help, eased Steve out of the machine. Even without thinking about it Danny supported one side of his partner, and Steve didn't want it any other way. He smiled tiredly at Kono when she ran over and hugged him gently, but she pulled back and quickly checked out Danny and Chin with eyes. "Anyone else injured?" she asked, and sighed in relief when she received negatives all round.

"Just SuperSEAL," Danny commented grimly and squeezed his partner's waist with his arm around him. "To that end…" He looked over at Joe. "When can we get back in the air? Or should we get him to a hospital here?"

Joe glanced at his watch and thought about it for a moment. "We'll check him out here, I'll make a call. We may just get out, depending on any internal injuries."

Danny nodded, and, ignoring Steve's muttered "Still here, you know," he and Chin took him into the guy's small house. He led them to a downstairs bedroom and they quickly laid their teammate down on it. Steve needed some more help to get centred, he winced when his neck stretched, so Danny quickly grabbed a pillow and arranged it underneath him for comfort. Chin murmured something about water and clean, and left them alone, but only for a few moments.

"Danny," Steve murmured, and used a hand to try and reach him. "You came."

"Of course I did, silly goof," his partner replied as he worked on getting his friend out of his filthy clothes. He paused in gently moving the open shirt off one arm to look him in the eye and cup his bloodied cheek in one palm. "You're my partner and my best friend. I'm always going to come for you, always."

Steve smiled at him, wide but tired, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the noisy arrival of Gutches, carrying a large duffle stuffed with first aid equipment. "Good, Danny, you're here," he said and dumped the bag on the side of the bed. "You can help me."

Danny nodded and they got to work. Between them they stripped the Commander completely and anything Danny may have liked about that faded when he saw the extent of his injuries. Chin had returned with a bucket of hot water and some clean washcloths, and as he and Danny cleaned off the grime and dried blood from Steve's head, arms, torso and legs the Jersey detective got more and more angry. If he ever saw Wo Fat Danny knew he wouldn't hold back, he was going to take him out himself.

* * *

Joe managed to get them an early slot to leave from the airport and they were back in the air and headed towards Oahu a couple of hours later. That had been enough time for Gutches to check over their rescuee with the equipment they had brought with them, and if Danny and Chin were surprised about the portable ultrasound or other equipment he pulled out of that huge duffle neither said anything. They showed the broken ribs on one side hadn't ruptured anything important, that Steve's main injuries were cuts, bruises and what looked like burns on his torso. Between the three of them they cleaned and dressed his wounds, Gutches sowed up the deeper ones, and Steve spent the time with his eyes closed and a hand laid on Danny's closest arm or leg when he had to move, and lay back and let them get on with it. He was exhausted, but it took his partner leaning over him, hand again cupping his cheek, reassuring him that he was finally safe for him to relax enough to sleep.

He woke up again for a few moments, enough to spot Danny sitting on the floor of the cargo hold, next to him and the cot they'd set up for him. Danny was leaning against a crate, head resting against a couple of bundles of something soft, asleep. He was close enough that Steve could feel his fingers entwined with his own and he squeezed his hand.

Kono chose that moment to walk over with a blanket that she quickly tucked around Danny's form and she glanced over at the Commander when she straightened. She grinned at him, seeing his eyes open and watching her. "We're almost home, Steve," she assured him, and checked his blankets too. "Everyone's okay, even Danny," she added, knowing what he was thinking about. "Get some sleep, we'll sort it out."

He smiled at her, he trusted her, almost as much as he trusted Danny, and he closed his eyes again, falling easily into more healing sleep.

* * *

The next time he woke he was somewhere else entirely, and he looked around him with a frown. He was in a hospital room that much was obvious, and he was not alone. Chin was sitting next to him, looking out of the closed door. He followed his eye line, past Kono who was standing and watching through the room's door and window to the spectacle beyond.

Danny was standing at the door, hands on his hips, glaring at the other guy was opposite him. It was Denning, and even through the glass Steve could hear the Governor's voice, but he couldn't make out the words he was saying.

Danny didn't like what the Governor said to him, which was also obvious, and as soon as Denning had stopped he erupted, arms in the air, voice loud, words clipped and sharp. "I am not a politician, Denning!" he snapped, and his voice was quite audible through the glass door. "I took an oath to protect and serve. That includes protecting people from criminals with enough money to buy CIA agents! And Governors! I especially protect those people who are willing to give up their lives to protect this country! I don't give a toss whether one of your councillors didn't like it; he's probably been bought by Wo Fat too! What would you expect us to do if it was you in Steve's position, huh?" he demanded, using a hand to point viciously at the guy only stopping poking him in the shoulder because Denning stepped back. "You'd expect us to do exactly the same thing, wouldn't you?"

"I wouldn't be in that situation, Detective!" Denning snapped back when Danny took a breath.

"No, you wouldn't," he agreed, his tone acid and filled with disgust. "You wouldn't be in that position, you wouldn't put your life on the line to save someone else, would you? But you expect us to do it for you, don't you?"

Steve and the other two knew immediately that Danny had hit the nail on the head when Denning looked down at his feet and couldn't look the fuming Detective in the eye. Danny saw it too and pressed his point. "Steve's father was murdered because your predecessor was corrupt," he said to him. "Jameson was murdered by the guy she was working for, the same guy who had Steve's dad killed, and the same guy who had bribed a CIA agent to get him into a position where he was unprotected. Are you in the pay of the same guy?" he asked bluntly. "Jameson was your boss. Did you know what was going on?"

Denning looked up at him with a glare. "I am not corrupt, Detective. I am sure you checked me out thoroughly the moment I re-instated you, yes?" he asked, and continued when Danny nodded. "I am sorry that your partner has gone through what he has, and I will back you when you're protecting him." He raised his hand when Danny opened his mouth again to protest. "I know you're going to tell me that I didn't sanction your little trip, but that was politics, not because anyone paid me to stop you. But I did sanction a humanitarian trip," he added. "Did the supplies I funded get there?"

Danny nodded, calming down. "We left them with an agency guy to distribute them properly," he explained, which was true. They had left the supplies of food they had taken over as their cover with Tangerine's owner, who had called a distributor for a charity working in the North, and she had shown him the plans and sent him some photos of the villagers she'd given the supplies too. "The villagers were very grateful."

"Good," Denning said in reply, and glanced into the room that Danny was protecting. He smiled wryly when he noticed the other three members of Danny's team watching them. "Look after your partner, Detective. I'm sure you and I will finish this conversation at a better time." With that he turned and walked away and Danny shook his head, opened the door and walked back into the room. "He's such an asshole," he commented when he noticed the other three people watching him and he smiled when he noted Steve was awake. "Hey partner," he greeted him, and walked over. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Steve replied sincerely. "Thanks to you."

Danny looked down and blushed delightfully. "Not on my own, Steve." he admitted and looked at the other two people in the room. "We all did it: Joe, Lori, SEAL team 9. We all did it."

"But you arranged it, Danny," Chin added, mainly for Steve's benefit.

"You knew something was up before anyone else did." Kono commented and Steve noted how nicely Danny looked when he was flustered and embarrassed. And then noticed that he looked absolutely exhausted.

"When did you last sleep, Danno?" he asked him suddenly, making his partner frown at the sudden change of subject.

"I've slept, some," Danny retorted darkly.

"About three hours in two days, Danny," Chin corrected him as darkly. "He's not happy leaving you, Steve," he explained, looking over at the SEAL tucked up nicely. "How much room have you got in there anyway?"

Steve shifted a bit further to one side of his bed and patted the space beside him. "Plenty of room for a short one," he informed them with a smile.

Danny retorted in his most mature manner and stuck out his tongue. But snuggling up with Steve was a treat he couldn't pass up, especially after his last couple of days, so he walked over, losing most of his clothes as he did so. He slid under the blankets his partner lifted up for him and snuggled close, laying his head on the SEAL's strong shoulder. He closed his eyes as Steve wrapped his arm around his shoulders and let the reassuring sound of his best friend's strong, rhythmic heartbeat lull him to sleep.

End


	11. 211

2.11 (bit of fluff)

* * *

Danny finally found himself relaxing when he could watch the kids be reunited with their parents and turned to check for Steve. His partner was watching the kids too, and he was grinning that wide, lovely grin he had. Danny had missed that, had thought he was never going to see that again when he had heard Jenna's frantic call a couple of weeks ago. He had done everything he could to make that not happen, finding Steve alive in the back of that truck was virtually the same feeling he had when he saw Grace, and he had had difficulty since they had returned in letting him out of his sight. If Steve had noticed Danny was almost attached to him by the hip he hadn't said anything, and even as Danny thought about it his partner turned round and sought him out with his eyes. His grin turned softer when he spotted his friend, and Steve walked back over to him and stood close enough so he could drape his arm over Danny's strong shoulders. "We found them," he said softly to him under the noise of the crowd. "They're all fine."

Danny nodded and embraced his friend's waist, holding him tightly against him, scared to let him go in case he lost him in the melee of grateful people. "We did, they are," he agreed and looked up at him. "Are you all right, Steve?" he asked after a few moments. "Really? You were far too close to the explosion. You didn't get hurt?"

Steve shook his head and looked down at him with a smile. "I'm fine, Danno," he assured him. "You made sure of that. I think you checked me over thoroughly," he added, amused. Danny had, virtually stripped him there then and checked over every inch of him for more injuries. Steve had let him, even though he had assured him he wasn't hurt in the blast, he knew what he was feeling and why, he had felt the same thing every time Danny had coughed or pressed a hand to his chest for weeks after the Sarin incident. Steve was pleased it was Danny though, Lori had been sniffing around him and he had thought she was going to do the same thing, or try, but his partner had put paid to that by simply grabbing him by the arm and pulled him away from her.

Steve hugged him tight as the crowd milled around them, people were now coming over and thanking them, some were laying hands on Danny, and he hated that, Danny was his, no-one else's, and he didn't want anyone else touching him. At all.

Before he had gone to Korea he had thought he was actually in love with Cat but, when he had thought he was going to die, all he could think of was Danny; his eyes, his laugh, his temper, his wide, strong shoulders, his tiny hands and feet, his huge, huge heart. And he knew then he had been lying to himself, it wasn't Cat he was in love with, it was this guy here, and he slipped his other arm around him and rested his chin on his partner's temple, just pleased to be able to hold him like this. Danny hugged him back, pleased he could do this, that he could feel his partner's strength returning, that he could do it. Seeing him in that truck, battered, bleeding, had petrified him, more so than anything else, and some times he woke from nightmares where it had been his dead body in the back, or with Jenna in that bunker. So he would take anything he could get, and he didn't care if they were in the middle of a mass of people.

"I could do this all day," Steve murmured and buried his smile in Danny's soft hair.

"Uh huh," Danno agreed, opened one eye and shifted just a touch so he could see what was going on around them over Steve's shoulder. Lori was glaring at them from some metres away, and he frowned at her. "Someone's not too impressed though," he commented, and pulled away only enough so he could look up at his partner. "Has Lori tried it on with you?" he questioned.

Steve frowned at him and shook his head. "No," he replied, and then thought about it. "Well, I suppose, but I've been ignoring it. Why?"

"She's giving me the evil eye," Danny responded, and laid his head back where it had been. "Not that I care, but it could become a bit difficult after a while."

Steve looked up and around them to see her, but since he was loathe to move much he couldn't spot her, just Kono smiling softly in their direction. He winked at Kono who grinned in reply, and turned back to Danny. "Where is she?" he asked him, thinking quickly. "I need to do something about it."

"Behind us, by the bus," Danny replied and squeezed him tightly before he let him go with one arm. "Leave it for a while," he suggested and used his free arm to indicate the rest of the group around them. "We've got to do some more important things first, I think the reporters have got an eyeful of us," He had spotted them, and a rogue photographer smirking at him from where the kids were being reunited. But he didn't care as much as he thought he might, he wasn't embarrassed to be seen with his partner, no way in hell.

Steve shrugged, his arm still round his shoulders as he looked around the area as well. "You're mine," he stated and grinned down at him when Danny huffed in a half-hearted protest. "The more people know that, the better."

"Hmm," Danny murmured and looked around them. What he really wanted to say was 'about time you did something about it then' but he stayed silent and just revelled in their closeness for the time he could use have it. It wouldn't be long before people pulled his SEAL away for interviews and such like, and he himself could imagine the mountain of paperwork this latest stunt would generate, but for the time being, he just stood there, leaning against the big sailor, and revelled in it while he could.

End


	12. 212

2.12 (this gets a bit hot and heavy in the latter stages - slash wise. Don't like - don't read)

* * *

Danny gave the happy couple his congratulations, hugging Malia and kissing her cheek, and doing the same to Chin when he protested good naturedly. He was happy for them both; they had waited for so long for this and after everything they were both beaming in joy. But he couldn't get past the parallels to his own wedding over a decade ago, he was as happy and look how that turned out?

He looked around the people milling around, looking for his partner, but the tall tree-like SEAL wasn't around. He frowned and wandered around, speeding up a bit when he couldn't see him anywhere – the great goof could get into trouble in a blink of an eye.

But he wasn't relieved when he finally spotted him on the beach with Joe, especially after their earlier conversation, and he quickly made his way over to them.

Steve was tense, the way he held his shoulders told him that, and the death glare aimed at the other SEAL trying to ignore him and stare out to sea was also a dead give away. Joe had obviously said something, or nothing, knowing him, that Steve hadn't liked, and despite Danny not minding if his partner were to take some of his frustration out on the guy, but Joe would probably fight back and Steve had had enough bruises lately.

Danny walked over to them, making some noise, and laid a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Steve, Babe, you're missing the party."

Joe looked over at them and noted Steve had relaxed just a touch at his partner's proximity. "We can't have that." Joe replied and turned round and walked back to the party. He only looked back when he was far enough away and watched them interact.

The pair were still at the shore, Danny was standing in front of Steve now, and as Joe watched he moved his hand from Steve's shoulder in a gentle caress down his arm to his forearm. He was talking to him, using his other hand to illustrate his point, as Danny normally did, and it was obvious whatever he was saying was having a calming effect on Steve.

Joe had been sceptical when he found out about Steve's 5-0 command and he had a partner, he hadn't thought the Commander would like to work that closely with anyone. Especially one like Detective Williams; short, blond, mouthy and opinionated about all things. But he had underestimated the guy; Joe knew especially when it came to his loyalty to Steve. He had stayed when he could have gone back to New Jersey and had a life there, and with his own research Joe knew just what it had cost the detective.

It was obvious though to anyone watching just what Danny did for the DEAL. Steve was relaxed now, smiling wryly at whatever his partner was telling him, and even as he watched Steve reached forward and gently tugged on one of Danny's lapels.

Joe walked away at that point and went to the alcohol table, reaching for a beer. Danny was going to be trouble, he knew it, Steve was a better person, a stronger person with that Jerseyite as best friend and back up, and that was dangerous for him, for both of them.

* * *

Danny glanced at Joe as he walked away but then turned back to his friend and partner, he could deal with the older guy some other time. He had more important things to deal with, namely one stressed out SuperSEAL. "He's gone, Babe." he assured him, and moved his hand from his friend's shoulder in a long caress to his forearm. "What did he say?"

Steve, looking down at his partner's feet, let himself relax, but not by much. "Nothing," he grumbled, and looked up at him. "He's not telling me anything. I think he knows all about Shelburne, but he's not telling me anything."

Danny frowned and squeezed his arm. "Did he say why?" he asked curiously, concerned. What if Joe was working with Wo Fat? And Danny called him in?

"He said he was trying to protect me," Steve replied grimly and looked down at Danny's feet again. "As if I can't protect myself. Danny, are you wearing slippers?" he asked him with a frown.

Danny looked down at his own feet and then up at Steve again. He was going to let it go, his partner had already teased him about them earlier. But one look at his best friend's face told him not to. "Slippers? _Slippers?_" he demanded. "There are flip flops, Steven, and an abomination. I'm only wearing them because, apparently, they're wedding attire on this godforsaken rock." He used his free hand to compass the entirety of the Hawaiian chain.

Steve watched him fondly and reached up to gently tug on one of his lapels. "You're looking pretty good in the suit though, Danny," he told him and looked him up and down. "Even in the slippers."

"Huh," Danny commented and looked his partner up and down too. "But I still can't ever compete with you, Mister Tall, Dark and Deadly. However well I scrub up."

Steve smiled coyly; actually shy at Danny's comments and it was a great look on him. "Tall, dark and deadly?" he repeated. "Really?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, Babe," he assured him. "Deadly." As in deadly to Danny's resolve, his libido, and sometimes his own self-respect. He wanted the guy like he wanted oxygen, and so much more than that. But Steve was enamoured with Catherine and he had so much other shit going on in his life right now he wasn't going to cause him any more. He wasn't going to make the Commander wrack his brains to come up with ways to reject Danny and wallow in guilt afterwards, as was his habit. So he didn't say anything else about it. "Come on, Babe." he aid instead. "Why don't we get completely slaughtered and sleep it off at my suite. We can use the spa tomorrow, I'm sure they have cures for hangovers."

Steve nodded and smiled at him. "You can probably get a pedicure too." he told him impishly and nodded back down at his partner's feet again.

Danny laughed and started to walk back to the party, Steve in tow. "Pedicure?" he began again into a familiar rant that Steve had missed so much recently. "I'm not going to have a pedicure, just no…"

* * *

Steve had to concede the next day that his partner was full of good ideas, most of the time. They had partied into the night, gotten nicely shitfaced because Chin had kept plying the other members of his 5-0 ohana with JD and tequila, and poured each other into an elevator and Danny's suite after the happy couple had made their way to the honeymoon suite.

The SEAL had had a great night's sleep, better than before going to Korea, and most of that was because he and Danny had ended up fast asleep, curled around each other in that glorious King bed in the main bedroom. It was a very comfortable bed, medium un-lumpy mattress, firm, plumped pillows, and crisp, clean sheets. But what made it so good was the body spooned up close against him right about now.

Steve knew Danny just fit perfectly against him, in every aspect of his life – the shorter man (definitely not diminutive) filled up his empty spaces with his huge heart and personality.

Steve loved him for it; he knew what these feelings were now. He had managed to delude himself for months that Danny was his partner and friend; until he had thought he was never going to see him again. He had lost all hope in the back of that truck in Korea, so sure Wo Fat was going to finish him off and dump his body there to rot in the jungles. The worst, deeper pain he was in when he slumped there, waiting to die, was regret that he would never get to tell his partner just how much he loved him, how grateful he was to him for letting him into his life, for giving the SEAL life again. He'd taken it for granted that Danny knew what he felt for him, but Steve figured out that he had been mistaken about that – there had been a couple of times the previous night when Danny had let down his barriers and Steve had seen the pain and loneliness he felt. He'd said a few things too; comments to Lori that she had taken at face value, but Steve knew him better than that.

It had been obvious to even an emotionally stunted SEAL that his partner was not the same after Jameson had betrayed them all – he'd been quiet, his rants had been muted, and only when the detective had realised his team had expected him to do it, rather than spontaneously, like before. Even their own carguments had been off, wrong on many levels.

Steve knew he was partly to blame for it. Danny had worked hard to clear his name, he'd lost everything in the process, even now was finding it difficult to rebuild, and how had he repaid him? By not even noticing he had left the house when Catherine had turned up until the next day when Max had turned up to check his wound, telling him that Danny had gone to the morgue in person and asked him to visit. No wonder the man asleep in his arms had been quiet and withdrawn, Steve thought to himself, he deserved a lot more from him for everything he had done. Steve didn't feel very much like SuperSEAL when he forced himself to confront the facts on how Danny had been treated recently, instead he felt pretty crappy about it. And he knew, if he told Danny about his thoughts right about now he'd slap him and tell him not to be so stupid: "You're worth it, Steve. What are partners for?" Danny had said to him when he had thanked him for something minor a few weeks back.

Well, he resolved, he was just going to have to make Danny realise he was worth it too.

* * *

Danny woke slowly and took an inventory of his body. Headache? Check. Nausea? Check. Cat litter mouth, no, '_used' _cat litter mouth? Check. Someone freakishly long wrapped around him? Check. Wait? Who? It only took a few moments for his sluggish brain; no one else surrounded him quite like Steve. He glanced over at the clock on the night stand and noted that it was past ten AM which he was surprised and pleased about – he had thought when he'd woken Steve would be long gone.

So he quickly turned round in his partner's arms and watched him as Steve blinked at him, nose to nose. "Morning, Danno." the SEAL greeted him and smiled at him. "How're you doing?"

"Don't want to die, so taking it as a win." Danny told him after a few moments of thought. "You?"

Steve grinned at him and hugged him tightly close. "No hangover," he replied brightly. "Not had one of them in over a decade."

"Of course you haven't, SuperSEAL," Danny groaned and buried his face in Steve's shoulder.

Steve loved it, he loved Danny so close to him, he wanted it, he _needed _it, and he wanted so much more. And seeing how happy Chin had been yesterday had made him want that too – he was content with Catherine, but Danny? What the blonde did for him far outweighed anything anyone had ever done for him, ever, and if Chin could figure out how to move on, to take the leap, why the hell couldn't he? "Danny?" he called, and smiled again when he got a grunt in reply. "You kinda like sleeping with me, huh?" he questioned.

Danny looked up at him with a frown. "You're particularly comfy for a Rambo-type," he replied and poked him in the chest to make his point.

Steve laughed quietly, something he hadn't felt like doing for a while. "And you've slept with a lot of Rambo-types, have you?" he asked him, amused.

Danny grinned and laid a hand gently on his SEAL's pectoral, gently caressing the soft skin. The bruises had faded; most of the cuts, burns and abrasions had healed too. Danny knew his partner had suffered nightmares since they'd returned from Korea; he'd been sleeping on the couch up until last week and had rushed up the stairs every time he had heard something. But last night Steve had slept peacefully, looking at him now Danny couldn't see any shadows in his eyes or on his face; all he could see was fond amusement.

Danny used his other hand to gently cup Steve's face and used his thumb to caress the faint scar from one of Wo Fat's beatings under his eye. "Only you, Babe," he assured him, hoping he got the message.

Steve had if the way he pulled him virtually on top of him was anything to go by. "I really hope I'm not dreaming," Danno said softly, and bent over him to lightly kiss his partner's lips. It was tentative at first, just a brush of lips, but Steve changed that. He slid one of his hands up Danno's naked back and buried it in his hair. Using that he pulled him close and kissed him properly, exploring his mouth when Danny opened up for him. But if Steve thought Danny was going to submit he was mistaken, Danny pushed him flat onto his back, sprawled over him and plundered his mouth.

When they had to break off for air Danny looked down at his partner with a smile, his hand still caressing Steve's face, his other hand holding the SEAL's thin side. Danny could feel Steve's erection digging into his thigh; his big hand had made it down Danny's shorts and even now was rhythmically squeezing one of his pert butt cheeks.

But it was when Steve rubbed his finger over Danny's tight little hole that his partner pulled away. Danny sat up, straddling Steve's hips, and looked down at him. "I love you, Steve," he told him firmly. "But I don't do casual. I can't be your fuck buddy here while Catherine's off on the seven seas and then get kicked to the curb when she's back."

Steve frowned and looked him up and down. Danny was mostly naked, hard; nipples rock-like pebbles begging for play, sitting on Steve's own hard cock. "You could have picked a better time for this discussion?" he asked him incredulously. "Really?"

Danny sighed and shook his head. "Guess that answers that," he murmured, and shifted to get off him, a cold shower in his near future. But Steve grabbed his waist with both hands and held on.

"Danny," he said loudly, and shook him gently to get his attention. "What Cat and I have is easy," he explained, looking into his partner's eyes and hoping Danny could see his sincerity. "It's simple. She's my friend. But you, Danny?" he added, not smiling. "You are not easy. You are the most contrary, complicated, opinionated, verbose, emotional person I know, all wrapped up in a compact package."

Danny sat back and watched him, not saying anything, content to let him continue, let this play out. This was more than Steve had ever said about his feelings before.

"And what a package?" the Commander continued, and let go of his waist to use his hands to caress Danny's chest, rubbing over his hard nipples, up to his broad shoulders and down again to his slim hips. "You're beautiful, Danny, all of you." he assured him. "I'm not ready to say the L word yet," he admitted and stroked his skin over his hipbone. "But I want so much more than 'fuck buddy' with you. Really."

Danny said nothing for a few moments while he thought about it, and his silence was concerning his partner. He nodded and bent over him again to lightly kiss his mouth. "Okay," he agreed. "But you'll let me know when you can give me the L word, yes?"

Steve nodded, he had no doubt it would be soon, and he already had plans, but first things first. He sat up so Danny was nestled on his lap, close to him, and kissed him again, gently and thorough, and Danny opened his mouth and let him in.

Steve pulled away but only enough so he could get them both naked, and he dragged his hands over his partner's gorgeous ass, across his perineum and back up to his hard cock jutting out in front of him. "Beautiful," he murmured, and looked up at him when Danny laughed quietly.

"You are, Steve." his partner told him and caressed his face again. "But lets get on with it, I've been waiting eighteen months for this," he added, amused, and ground his hips down on Steve's for encouragement. "So get on with it, Sailor."

Steve grinned at him and in a SEAL-worthy move he wrapped his arms around him and flipped him onto his back, setting on top of him and in between in his legs. "Yes, sir," he retired, and got to it. With relish.

Danny reacted beautifully to his ministrations, as Steve had thought he was definitely not quiet in bed, neither was he a submissive pushover, and the SEAL loved the challenge his partner presented him. Just when he thought he had it made, Danny pulled a manoeuvre that any SEAL would be proud off – hooking a leg around one of Steve's ankles, grabbing his arms and flipped him over onto his back, going over his partner as thoroughly as Steve had him. Danny was an expert with his mouth, not just with words, and Steve found himself making noises he would later deny when his cock was swallowed whole and sucked on avidly, and all he could do was bury his hands in Danny's soft hair and hold on. He could feel his orgasm rising at the base of his spine and lancing out, and tugged on Danny's hair to get his attention. "D…" he murmured, breathless. "I'm gonna c..cum…"

Danny looked up at him and took more of him in, if possible, hummed around him, and slipped his hand to Steve's pert, taut buttocks and rubbed his finger over his tight hole. Which was not conducive to stop the SEAL, and he ejaculated, hard, into Danny's mouth, his partner's name on his lips.

Danny swallowed everything he had to give him, sucking him dry, and he only let him out of his mouth when he was sure he had everything. He looked up and grinned at his partner, his lover. "You taste good," he assured him fondly.

"It's the pineapple," Steve replied, and let go of his hair to wrap his large hands around Danny's muscled arms and pulled him up so he could kiss his mouth. He tasted himself on Danny's tongue, and grinned at him when he pulled away. "It's definitely the pineapple," he agreed, slipped one of his large hands down to Danny's own hard, leaking cock and tugged experimentally.

Danny groaned, he was on the brink anyway and he wasn't going to last long, especially when Steve flicked his wrist in a move that pumped more precum from him. Steve moved closer and kissed him again, owning his mouth, pumping his cock, and Danny lost it, cumming against Steve's thigh and a muffled shout against his lips.

He pulled away only so he could breathe, and Steve watched him with a fond smile. "Good?" he asked him, suddenly shy.

He needn't have worried, Danny laughed and lazily rubbed his own cum into Steve's skin, marking him in the best way. "You can do that again," he answered him. "Whenever you like,"

Steve grinned, embraced him tightly and pulled him close. "I'll take you up on that, Danny," he reassured him. "Frequently."

* * *

Later, a lot later, they were snuggled together in that lovely bed, Steve on his back, Danny again sprawled over him, both recovering from another session, this time when Steve had pressed into his partner and fucked him deep. "Danny," Steve murmured, his face buried in his partner's, his _lover's _hair. "If you ever get yourself handcuffed to anyone else again I'll kill them. And then keep you cuffed to our bed at home. Got it?" He soothed his words by pressing a kiss to Danny's scalp, but he needn't have been worried.

Danny laughed and looked up at him. "Don't worry about that, Babe," he assured him. "She's not my type. And besides," he added and pressed a kiss to the tip of Steve's nose. "That's not a very good incentive. I wouldn't have a problem with you cuffing me to a bed."

Steve raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "Oh really?" he asked him archly. "We might have to try that."

Danny laughed again and kissed his mouth, something he was getting very used to doing. "But if you chuck the key away again I might have to string you up by the balls."

Steve grinned. "And how're you gonna do that if I've handcuffed you to the bed?"

Danny laughed again and lay back down again. "I'm a genius at the Jersey slip, Love." he assured him. "I'll be out in seconds."

End


	13. 213

2.13

* * *

Danny was at the door of his suite at the Hilton as soon as he heard someone stopped outside it. He had been waiting for Steve to turn up as soon as he had received his cryptic text: Help me, D.

He had replied: Of course; and tried to call him, but his partner had only answered his phone to tell him he was on his way to the hotel and would be there soon.

Five minutes later there was a noise outside Danny's door and he quickly got there and looked through the peephole. It was Steve, as he had hoped, and he was all decked out in his ninja gear. Crap.

Danny quickly opened the door before his partner had a chance to knock, and he quickly reached for him and pulled him inside – even though the hotel had his card from 5-0 Danny didn't think they wanted their other guests seeing someone with a tac vest on, a gun in a chest holster, another in a thigh holster, and was that a knife sheathed on Steve's other thigh?

Steve was surprised at the strength his partner showed by simply pulling him inside, but any comment he was going to say was smothered by a quick kiss from him. Danny quickly pulled away before he could get too enthusiastic, he did find Ninja-Steve incredibly hot after all, and he closed the door behind them, locking it too. Then he turned back to his man and looked him up and down. "Is Denning still alive?" he asked him quickly and pulled him further into the living room. "Are you hurt?"

Steve blinked at him, confused for a moment about his Denning question, and Danny took that silence as a cue to check him over a bit more thoroughly. "Stay still, SuperSEAL." he ordered, and got to work. Steve found himself standing compliantly still as Danny expertly divested him of the tools of his trade, and Danny knew where to look too.

Three guns, safety's on, found their way to a nearby armchair, two knives, his vest, two mobile phones (one a burn one) and that was before the detective had gotten to the many pockets of his black cargos. Danny ignored those though, he didn't want to be handling grenades or ninja stars, or whatever else he had in there, so instead he went over him with his hands to make sure he was alright. "Steve!" Danny said sharply as his partner closed his eyes and revelled in Danny's strong fingers in his hair, checking for head wounds. "Are you hurt? Don't lie to me." he added as he dragged his hands over Steve's neck, shoulders, looking for anything untoward.

"No," Steve answered him, having to clear his throat to be able to speak. "I'm not hurt. They didn't get a shot off."

"Uh huh," Danny aid thoughtfully as he quickly pushed his hands under his lover's tee shirt and shoved it upwards. "Get this off," he ordered and was gratified to see his partner did without question.

Danny was far too worried to be able to admire Steve's ripped muscles, soft skin, colourful tattoos, he knew what they felt and tasted like now anyway. Instead he quickly checked his chest, back, arms and hands for any injuries, and when he found none he grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the sofa. "What happened?" he demanded, and glared at him, daring him to leave anything out.

Steve was almost insanely grateful for his partner's ministrations, he knew Danny at least cared about him, trusted him and wouldn't betray him. So he sat back and let him strip him, Danny getting to work on his boots while he fumbled with his belt, and started talking.

He gave him the entire sorry tale, not leaving anything out, and Danny listened to it all before he got up and looked down at him. Steve was naked now, flawless, and not injured, but he was not a happy person, and neither was Danny. "So he said nothing?" he asked him as he held out his hand to him again.

Steve took it and shook his head. "Even when I told him that I was tortured, and Jenna murdered over it. He just got out and walked away."

He looked destroyed, Danny thought as he studied his partner's mobile face; even worse than last year when he had last pulled a stunt like this and gotten arrested. He trusted Joe, Danny knew that, and it was obviously hurting him to know the man didn't trust him the same amount. Danny sat down next to him on the sofa and embraced him tightly with his free arm, holding his hand tightly. "I love you," he told him, close to his ear. "I don't know what's up with Joe, but I do know it's not your fault. So don't put that on your shoulders too, okay?"

Steve embraced him tightly back, feeling safe enough in his presence. "All he tells me is that he's trying to protect me," he murmured, his voice muffled in Danny's shoulder.

Danny fumed, he didn't want to put more weight on his lover's shoulders so he kept his thoughts to himself. But it sounded like Joe White was attempting to distract everyone else from his own shady dealings – taking Hiro Noshimuri to Japan and siccing his son onto Steve and 5-0 was the icing on the cake. He really needed to get that man and get some information from him, and, if he wasn't going to talk to him, the Detective might be tempted to hand him back over to the Yakuza himself.

But he didn't tell Steve that, his partner would not like the way his mind was working, and he had enough on his plate. Danny pressed a kiss to his temple and released him "Why don't you grab a shower, Babe?" he suggested at Steve's frown. "I'll get some room service, you can eat before we go to bed. Okay?"

Steve nodded and let his partner lever him up to his feet and usher him to the bathroom. He trusted Danny, he knew he wouldn't betray him; he knew he had his back, and he felt safe with him. Safe enough to let it all go for a little while, to let the hot water in the pretty amazing shower wash away his anger, knowing that his partner was just outside, ordering beer.

End


	14. 214

Tag to 2.14 (bit more slashy goodness!)

* * *

Steve studied his friend for a few moments as he took a photo of that new baby boy that Danny had so hoped would be his and marvelled at him. He had pulled through today for Rachel, much more than anyone would ever expect from him, and now he was, what? Going to walk away? Leave it at that? Knowing Danny, he'd probably go back to that hotel on his own and brood. No, Steve wasn't going to let that happen. "Dinner?" he asked him, and smiled when Danny looked up at him with a nod.

"Got your wallet, SuperSEAL?" the smaller man asked him as he put his phone away. Steve nodded and linked arms with him. "Yup." he assured him, and with one last look at the newborn, he pulled him away.

Tonight the SEAL thought to himself as he took his partner back to his car, was all about Danny. Chin had dropped him off at the end of the day so he didn't have to worry about his own car, and Danny simply handed him the keys to the Camaro without argument. He waited for his partner to get in the passenger seat before he got in himself, and decided where he was going when he looked at him for a long moment. "Are you okay, Danno?" he asked him and laid a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Really?"

Danny sighed and shook his head. "No." he answered him truthfully. "But, I will be. You?"

Steve nodded and gunned the engine. "I have you." he assured him, and headed off to the restaurant he had planned.

Danny was subdued over dinner, not his usual boisterous self, but he ate, which was good, and he was also making sure Steve ate too, the father in him the SEAL supposed. It hit him really when he watched Danny sip slowly on his beer just how much he cared for him, how much he loved him. Rachel was a fool he thought to himself as he signalled for the bill, giving this man up twice was something he couldn't comprehend. So he reached over and gently clutched Danny's hand in his. "Come on, Danny." he told him with a smile. "Let me take you home and make you feel better, okay?"

Danny nodded and squeezed his hand in reply. If he heard Steve's unspoken: 'you're mine now' he didn't say anything about it, instead getting up and following him out of the restaurant back to the car.

Steve took him home back to the beach house, got out and quickly stepped round the other side to open Danny's door for him, making the other guy laugh at him. It lightened his eyes, showed him the usual sparkle that had been missing for a while, and Steve grinned at him and pulled him close with his hand. He pressed a kiss to his lips, embraced him tightly with both arms as their kiss deepened, Danny opening up to him and letting him in. Their relationship was still new, Steve was still finding it odd, exhilaratingly so that he could do this now, that he had the right to kiss his partner like this on the drive of his house, that he could hold him tight, taste his mouth, feel his warmth, listen to his heartbeat matching his own, that he wanted to do it so much more. When they pulled away he looked down at his partner and smiled. "Bed?" he asked him, and let him go a moment so he could gently brush some of his soft hair away from his forehead.

Danny smiled up at him and nodded. "Yeah," he agreed almost relieved that it was finally getting to this point. "I need the whole works, Babe," he added when his partner pulled away to get the car locked and them both in to the house. "I need…" You to love me, _**you**_ to want me. "You to want me, Steve,"

Steve, one arm still around his partner's waist, hugged him close. "I need you, Danny," he assured him, and unlocked the front door. As soon as he got them both inside the house he kicked the door closed again and turned back to his partner, kissing his mouth, trialling kisses down his neck, gently closing his teeth over Danny's jugular and smiling at the groan pulled out of Danny's throat. "I want you, every minute of every damn day," he murmured against his lover's soft skin.

Danny shivered and slipped his hands under Steve's t-shirt to caress his soft skin, stretched over hard abs, so pretty with all that ink. "Steve…" he whined, and let his lover's soft throaty chuckle wash over him. "Let me take you to bed, Love." the Commander replied, and led him up the stairs after Danny nodded.

Steve made sure he was gentle and slow, despite wanting to rip Danny's clothes off him when he got them to his bedroom, but he needed to make sure his partner knew exactly how much he cherished him. So he stood him against the bed and gently pulled off Danny's shirt, caressing his skin as he did so, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his throat, mouth, and chest, taking a few minutes to play with his nipples. Then he moved down, settled onto his knees in front of him, and carefully removed his partner's slacks, pushing them down and helping Danny out them and his shoes too. Then he buried his face in Danny's groin, breathing him in, kissing the base of his cock as it nestled in his soft, blonde hair. He wrapped his large hands around Danny's slim hips to keep him steady and set about showing him how he felt about him. Danny watched him, burying his hands in Steve's short hair, using his fingers to caress his scalp and shook his head. "You don't have to," he murmured, and Steve smiled up at him. "I want to." he assured him, and striped his tongue down the side of Danny's thick cock. He was gratified at the groan his actions caused, and he concentrated on making it good for him. Soon enough Danny was hard in his mouth, his pre-cum flooding over his tongue, and Steve sucked him hard and deep, letting him thrust gently into his mouth. He used one of his fingers to lightly rub at Danny's sweet hole, causing him to groan and leak more pre cum and push a bit deeper into his throat. Danny swore and watched as his partner let go of one of his hips to slip two of his own fingers in his mouth, jut enough to wet them, and quickly moved them back to Danno's beautiful pert ass. He looked up at him as he gently pushed those fingers inside, and caressed him, opening him up, rubbing his prostate, as he sucked. Danny's eyes were squeezed shut, his mouth open but he was silent, which Steve knew by now meant he was just about to cum. So he doubled his efforts, swallowed Danny whole and sucked hard, putting renewed pressure on the nub of his prostate. He was rewarded soon enough, Danny shouted his name, thrust hard once, twice into his mouth, and ejaculated long sticky streams of cum down his throat. Steve swallowed as much as he could and kept on until Danny murmured his name, tugged on his hair and fell backwards onto the bed, slipping out of Steve's mouth at the same time.

He savoured Danny's musky taste, licking his lips, before he quickly stood and stripped himself, watching his lover as he did so. Danny was watching him, smiling as his gorgeous body was revealed, and he shifted back to the middle of the bed as Steve quickly crawled onto it and stretched out next to him. "Was that good, Love?" he asked him, and splayed a large hand over Danny's belly.

Danny smiled and nodded, and turned on his side to face him. "As usual." he assured him, and moved a hand down to surround Steve's hard cock. "Do you want me to return the favour?"

Steve shook his head. "This is about you, Danny, all about you." he told him, and caressed his skin with his fingers. "What do you want?"

Danny thought for a moment and squeezed the cock he held in his hand. "Did you get any more lube?" he asked, and laughed quietly when his partner nodded eagerly.

Steve quickly moved away and reached for the top drawer of the nightstand, pulling it open and rummaging around in it. He pulled out a new large bottle of lube and a box of condoms and showed them to his lover. "Yes, I was a scout," he commented before Danny could. "Do you want to top or…?" he asked.

Danny shook his head. "In me, Babe, please," he murmured and spread his legs a little so his partner would get the idea.

Steve did and moved over him to press a kiss to his mouth again. "Yes," he agreed when they broke off. He took his time, as he had wanted, making sure Danny realised just how he felt about him, exploring his chest with hands, lips, tongue, biting his taut little nipples, making Danny yelp and then groan. He trailed his hands down and zeroed in on Danny's hole again, the centre of him, and he quickly flipped his pliant form over. Danny moaned but buried his face in a pillow, knowing by now what his lover was going to do. Indeed Steve buried his face in his crack and pressed his tongue against that tight little pucker, tonguing him open when Danny cursed but lifted his hips some to encourage him on. Steve didn't take too long though, he was burning with need, hard and dripping, and he really needed to cum inside his beautiful partner. He pulled away, making Danno groan at the loss, but quickly returned to the spot with lube-covered fingers. He opened him up, pressing in again, first with one, then quickly adding two more, pressing the slick as deep as he could. "Relax, Danny," he suggested and drizzled out some more lube.

Danny turned as much as he could to face him and pushed himself back on the fingers in him. "I'm okay." he assured him, and squeezed around him to show him. "Just get to it already."

Steve grinned and pulled his fingers out, wiping them on the sheet before he grasped Danny's hips again. "Your wish and all that," he retorted as he positioned himself. Danny's reply was cut off in his moan when Steve penetrated him, pushed in firmly and completely in one strong stroke. Danny was so tight around him, so giving and Steve loved it, loved him. He pushed in and pulled out in sharp thrusts, trying to keep a steady pace, large hands on his lover's hips to keep him steady. Danny pushed back as well as he could, and groaned again as Steve changed his angle slightly and hit his prostate, with every thrust.

The SEAL wasn't going to last long, he knew it, and he wanted Danny to cum again, so he reached round with one hand and grasped his partner's cock, slick from pre cum, hard again, and pumped it in time with his own thrusts. Danny squeezed himself around him, pushing back against him, taking him as deep as he could, calling Steve's name, a few 'Please's there as well, and Steve lost his concentration. He shoved into him as far as he could, squeezed Danny's cock, and bit into Danny's shoulder when he felt his lover start to cum again. Danny's shout rocked the room, and the pull of strong internal muscles milked orgasm out of Steve too. He fucked him through it, hips pistoning in as he ejaculated deep into Danny's guts, and collapsed, replete, across Danny's body. It took them both a few moments to recover, but Steve stopped his over from moving away from him with an arm around his waist. His blond grumbled a bit as he was manhandled onto his side but he settled quickly and was asleep in moments.

Steve smiled, held him tightly and buried his face in his hair. "I love you," he murmured and pressed a kiss to his scalp. "My Danno."

End


	15. 215

2.15

* * *

Steve stood back at the storage unit while Danny and Rachel held Gracie between them and let the relief of the three wash over him. It was palpable from all three, Danny especially, and he could understand it. Danny had moved everything to be with his daughter, everything, and some scumbag from his old life had come here and tried to take her from him. Because his partner had done the right thing and shown his backbone. So Steve stood back and watched because he loved him with every fibre of his being, and this was something Danny needed.

But the moment his partner pulled his face up from Gracie's hair and looked around the SEAL stepped into his line of sight and closer to him. Danny saw him, nodded, let go and quickly rushed off to the side, away from the main action, out of any range of CSI, and bent double. Steve followed him, indicating to Kono to stay with Grace and Rachel, and got to him just as his partner started to throw up in long, hard painful heaves. The Commander made sure he wasn't going to get his boots covered but stepped as close to him as possible, rubbing his back to comfort them both really, he needed the reassurance too. "It's alright, Danno." he murmured to him and waited him out.

It felt to Danny that he was puking up his liver, it hurt like hell and he didn't think it would ever stop, but it did eventually, and he found himself propped up between the wall and his partner, eyes squeezed shut, breathing harshly as he tried to stop shaking. He couldn't stop the shudders, couldn't catch his breath, couldn't stop the panic rising again, had to turn to see if it was all over, but could hardly move, and panicked some more. But Steve's arms snaked around him, pulled him close against his partner's strong chest, hugged him tightly, Steve's voice murmuring soft assurances in his ear, and he found himself calming almost despite himself.

It could have been moments, or hours, he didn't really know, but somehow a bottle of water appeared in front of him and he took it gratefully, using the first sips to rinse out his mouth, spitting it out, before taking some of the cold liquid into himself. And still Steve held onto him, arms close around him, one large hand buried in Danny's hair, and he used that hand to pull him back against his chest again, letting him lean against him. "It's over, Danno." he murmured, his voice reassuring. "It's over, it's okay, she's okay."

"Stan's going to be fine too." Chin, who had brought the water, added, and Danny shifted the little he was able to look at him. "Malia is on call, she let me know a few moments ago." the other detective explained. "She's waiting for you and Grace, she can check you both over."

"I'm..." Danny began, his voice hoarse, but he was cut off by his partner.

"If you tell us you're fine, Danno, I'm gonna get Malia to put you in a psyche ward." the Commander said firmly to him, and hugged him as tight as he could without hurting him as Danny looked up at him balefully. "I know you're not." he added, and looked back at Chin. "I'll take them all to HMC." he told him. "Can you and Kono meet us there?"

Chin nodded and gently squeezed Danny's shoulder as he was literally forced away from the wall and back towards the vehicles. "See you soon, Danny," he said to him, and smiled ruefully as Steve pulled him away from them, taking control of the situation, whatever the smaller man wanted.

Sure enough the Commander corralled the other Williams, and Mrs Edwards into the Camaro, and drove at speed out of the area, dodging around the other police vehicles and out of sight.

Kono walked over to her cousin as they both watched, and sighed. "Do you think he's going to be all right?" she asked him as they stood together.

Chin paused for a moment as he thought about it. "If Rachel tries to stop his custody, then no, he won't be," he answered her. "But if she doesn't do that, then he'll be okay, with some help from us."

Kono nodded, agreed with him, and got back to work.

* * *

Steve met Malia at the entrance to the ER and handed over the three people to her. Danny was still shaking, but he had a strong grip on Grace who had let him pull her out of the car when they had arrived and stayed there, arms tightly around his neck. She was all right, looking around her with curiosity, smiling at Malia in greeting when she recognised her, seemingly none the worse for wear. Danny seemed to be the most affected, not surprising really, and the Commander made sure he had an arm around him somewhere, waist, shoulders, he didn't care, as he helped him inside. Doctor Kelly didn't suggest Steve stay out of the exam room she took them into, knowing he wouldn't anyway, and he stood close to his partner but out of the way as she checked them all over. As they had hoped Gracie was uninjured, just tired, reassured she was safe, and Rachel was fine. Danny however, was shaking like a leaf again, and Malia frowned when she listened to his heart and lungs through her stethoscope. "You didn't get shot?" she asked the detective quickly, and pulled over the small blood pressure monitor from the shelves behind her. She used it and looked over at Steve when she got the result. "Commander, help me set him down." she asked when she looked at the results. Chin had quickly filled her in when he had called and asked about Stan, so she wasn't surprised that his blood pressure was through the roof, his heartbeat was very high and his breathing unsteady, and she didn't like it.

Steve nodded and ushered Rachel and Grace into the chair in the room, before turning back and easing his partner onto the bed there. "Relax, Danno." he instructed and gently rubbed his arm as Malia quickly worked behind them. She quickly ducked her head out of the room and called over a nurse, giving the man terse instructions for what she needed before going back to her patient.

"He's right, Danny." she added as she walked over to him again. "You need to relax, deep breaths now. Grace is fine, aren't you, Honey?" she asked, glancing over at the child in question.

Both Rachel and Grace were watching what was going on with some fear, Danny had seemed okay in the car, but he was obviously not, and his daughter was clever enough to know what the problem was. "I'm all right, Danno," she told him, and wriggled out of her mother's lap. Rachel didn't like it but let her go, and she held her arms up for a lift up to Uncle Steve, something he was happy to give her. She snuggled close to her father on the bed when he placed her there, and Danny closed his eyes, hugged her tight and tried to do as he was told.

It was difficult though, very difficult, he had thought he was never going to see his daughter alive again when Peterson was spouting off his vitriol at him over the phone and to his face, whether he was going to kill her or him, or both. The bastard had caught him easily, using the one thing he had known would get Danny right where he wanted him, and it was only because of the quick thinking of his partner and colleagues that they were here now, safe, in one piece, relatively. But thinking about it was only increasing his panic and he whimpered into her hair.

Steve heard him and bent over them both, close enough so he could press a kiss to Danny's temple and bury a hand in his hair again. "It's all right, Danny." he said to him, not caring who was there and watching. "It's over, Grace is fine, it's all right."

Danny reached out for him with his free hand and Steve grabbed it and interlocked their fingers, holding on tightly, as the nurse returned with the items Malia had asked for. She quickly checked it over, nodded her thanks and readied a syringe with clear liquid from the bottle she had been given. "What's that?" Rachel asked quietly before she would let her give it to her ex.

"It's a sedative," Malia replied and showed her the bottle. "It should calm him down a bit, his pressure is way too high, it needs to come down or he's at risk of having a stroke." She didn't have to explain to Mrs Edwards, she was not listed as Danny's emergency contact any more, Steve was, but he was still murmuring softly into Danny's ear and Chin had explained the complicated relationship that still existed between Danny and Rachel, so she didn't begrudge telling her the information.

Rachel knew it as well and nodded her thanks, and sat back on the chair to watch.

"Danny, I'm going to give you something to calm you down, okay?" the doctor informed him as she got close. "It'll make you feel better." She quickly swabbed where she needed and injected the liquid into his bicep before he could protest, and stood back out of the way to watch it take effect.

Danny blinked up at his partner when he felt the sharp scratch in his arm and was reassured by the SEAL's slight smile at him. "Relax," he said again. "Let it work, she's safe."

It didn't take long, the drug was quite a strong one and Danny was exhausted anyway, and he found himself fighting his suddenly heavy eyelids. "Let it go, Danny," his partner instructed, and squeezed his hand. "I'm not going anywhere, let it go."

So he did, closed his eyes, and was asleep in moments.

* * *

Steve took Danny back to his house when he had been discharged from the hospital late the next morning, and he watched him, concerned, as he walked straight through the house and out of the back door. Danny hadn't said very much on the way there, hadn't argued with him about being dragged around at the whim of his partner, just let it happen, and it was out of character for him. Danny had woken a couple of hours before then and had noted that his daughter had gone, which was enough for him to start to panic again, until Steve had woken from his own sleep beside him on the narrow bed and explained that Rachel had taken her home. "I talked to her, Danno." Steve assured him as he looked down at his fear stricken face. "She knows this wasn't your fault, she's not going to stop any custody with Grace over this."

He had thought his declaration would make Danny feel better, even just a small amount, but he had shaken his head and looked away from him. "She should," he had murmured, and that was all the SEAL had managed to get out of him since then.

Now he quickly called Chin and filled him in, watching from the lanai as Danny stopped walking only when he got to the edge of the ocean, and stared down at his feet. Then the Commander swore, hung up, and sprinted down the sand after him as his partner started walking again, fully dressed in yesterday's clothes, into the waves. He didn't look as if he was going to stop either, and despite knowing he could swim, Steve was not going to let that happen in a hurry.

"Danny!" he yelled and ran in after him, pleased he had put his guns down inside when they had walked in. "Stop! Danny!" He managed to grab him before Danny could get out too far, and he pulled him close against him, arms on both of his, and shook him. "What were you thinking? Danny?" he asked, and was more concerned when his partner couldn't, didn't look him in the face. "Danny, please, look at me." he pleaded. "Talk to me," he added, something he had never thought he would have to say to the man. "Please, tell me what you're thinking. I can't read you like you can me, please, Danny, I need to know so I can help you."

Danny sniffed and shook his head, looking down at the clear water around them. He had managed to get waist deep, but not more, and he seemed surprised that they were in the sea. "I could have lost her." he said quietly. "He was going to kill her, saying it was all my fault."

Steve shook his head and pulled him tight against his chest and wrapped his arms around him, trying to surround him completely in the hope he could protect him from everything. "Not your fault, Danny," he assured him, and nuzzled his temple with his chin. "This was all on him, he broke the law, and he was the dirty cop, not you. This was all because of him, Danny, all because he's a psychopath. Not your fault."

Danny sniffed again and burrowed as close as he could get, slipping his arms around his waist to hold on. "He killed my friend." he groaned, and closed his eyes. "I had to shoot Stan." He shuddered and hugged his partner tighter. "What would I have done if he had chosen you?" he added and shuddered again. "My daughter and my partner? I would have just shot myself."

Now Steve shuddered and closed his eyes, burying his face is Danny's soft, unruly hair. When he had figured out that Peterson had Danny and Grace he had been petrified of that very scenario, that Danny had been forced into a corner by the other man. He knew how far Danny would go to protect his daughter, and when he couldn't get hold of him, even more so when he had seen his partner aim and fire at Stan Edwards, he had been terrified that Danny would then turn the gun on himself and he would have to watch. "No, Danno," he said firmly to him and pressed a kiss to his scalp. "It didn't happen, Grace is fine, I'm fine. Stan will be fine, and Peterson is in custody. The only person I'm worried about is you. I'm so sorry about your friend." he added sincerely. He was, that was true, the man hadn't deserved that, and Danny hadn't deserved to find him like that either, but it was also true that if he hadn't been there then they may not have found out that Peterson was on Hawaii before he had carried out his plan and Danny was dead. "We need to talk about that voicemail, but that can wait." He looked around them and smiled, just a quirk of his lips before he looked down at his partner. "Where were you going to go?" he asked him curiously.

Danny looked up at him and then around, seemingly noting where they were only now. "Anywhere, away from here." he murmured after some moments. "Some place where no-one knows me, where no-one I care about could get hurt because of me."

Steve sighed and pressed a kiss to his forehead – he could kiss him all day if needs be – and planned to. "You were the one who told me, a lot, when I first got back here that that doesn't work, Danny." he reminded him. "You told me that I couldn't run, just in case someone might do something like this, that I couldn't live my life like that." He remembered the conversation, not so long ago in the hospital after he had been returned from Korea, Danny had told him in no uncertain terms that Jenna's death was not his fault and he couldn't, shouldn't, must not shoulder the blame for it as well as all the other guilt he carried around. "I won't let you do the same. This is not your fault, Danny, please believe me."

Danny didn't answer for a few minutes, and when he did Steve didn't feel much more reassured. "Can we get out of the sea now?" he asked him quietly. "I need a shower, he's still all over me. And you, Steve, need to eat."

Deflection, Danny was good at that, Steve noted as he lead them both back out of the water. "We both need to shower, Danno," he answered him as he led him back up to the house. "And we both need to eat breakfast. Malia was very insistent on that, and she is not someone I would like to cross. Can you imagine the grief we'd get from Chin if we pissed her off?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "He'd be glaring at us for a month."

Danny followed him to the house, giving him the occasional 'uh huh' when he thought he should, but his heart and mind wasn't in the conversation and Steve knew it. But he didn't let him mope on his own, Danny meant far too much to him to let that happen. So instead he coaxed, bullied and persuaded him to eat the simple poached eggs on toast he quickly rustled up for them and then shared a shower with him. Danny was silent, virtually, and he didn't argue when Steve took him back to bed. "Come on, let's lie down for a while," the SEAL suggested after watching grimly as Danny half-heartedly dried his hair with a towel. "Is that okay? Danny?"

Danny felt like he was surrounded in cotton and couldn't really be bothered to fight his way out of it. He had tried to be a bit more animated when his partner had pulled him out of the ocean, but it hadn't worked, and he knew he was only going through the motions to make Steve worry less. So he looked up, nodded and tried to smile at him, when all he really wanted to do was curl up somewhere in a dark corner and let everything pass him by. But Steve's bed was not a bad compromise, it was comfortable, and if Steve wanted to be in there with him, so much the better. So he agreed, slipped into bed with him, and let his partner pull him around to the position he wanted him in, which was on his belly, half on top of Steve who was on his back, head resting on Steve's shoulder, one of his hands on Steve's chest. The SEAL held him tightly close, an arm around his back, and he held the hand Danny laid on his chest in his other one. "It's okay, Danny," he tried to assure him, and kissed his temple. "It's over."

Danny shook his head. "I've lost my daughter," he murmured, his voice lacking any of its usual life. "She's gonna take her away from me, she should do."

Steve shook his head. "No, she's not, Danny," he tried to reassure him. "Rachel knows what happened, Kono and I explained while we were in the hospital." In fact he had asked the exact question of Rachel while Danny was asleep, and demanded that she not even think about trying to reduce Danny's access because of this. He needn't have worried, as soon as they started their conversation Gracie piped up that if her mother tried that then she would get a divorce and go and live with her Danno. The look on Rachel's face had been priceless, Steve had wished that he had had the wherewithal to take a photo on his phone to show him, but he had been too concerned about his partner and daughter to think about that. "Grace was very adamant too.

Danny frowned and raised his head to look at him. "You had a discussion about my access when Grace was there?" he asked him, confused in his state that he would do that. "Rachel…"

"Didn't have a choice." Steve cut him off and pulled him back down again with the arm he held around his waist. "Grace was there, none of us wanted to leave you alone to have the talk. Rachel isn't going to do anything like that, Danny. Grace won't let her."

"But I shot Stan," Danny said quietly, his voice quiet, but his fear and pain was obvious. "I did that."

Steve shook his head again and squeezed his hand. "We all know what happened," he explained to him gently. "Even Stan. While you were asleep I spoke to him too, he's going to be fine, and he understood why you had to do it. Hell, Danny, if Peterson had shot him he would be dead by now, we all know that, Stan knows it too. It's going to be okay, Danny, you'll see."

"I hope," Danny replied after a few moments of thought.

So do I, Steve thought to himself, but promised himself that he was going to make sure it was, for his own sake as well as Danny's, he needed him, he loved Grace too, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure they stayed in his life.

* * *

Danny stayed in bed most of that day, at first curled up around Steve, then around a pillow when his lover left him for a moment or two to make a call, get them both something to eat and drink, or use the bathroom. He didn't ask anything of the SEAL, he said mostly nothing, not actually wanting to do anything that might remind him of what had happened.

But whatever he wanted to do to hide from the world, Steve had other ideas in mind, and, at about 4pm, he got a text on his phone and grinned when he read it. "I'll be right back, Danno," he assured him, and pressed a kiss to his lover's temple before he scooted of the bed, put down the book he had been reading, and quickly jogged downstairs. Danny, in his despair, didn't take much notice, he as expecting SuperSEAL to leave him at some point, especially after this, until he heard some very familiar galloping up the stairs. He frowned, and looked up from the pillow he had buried his face in and frowned when the door to the room opened. He was expecting Steve, or someone tall, but not the four-foot high bundle of pigtails that ran in. "Danno!" Gracie yelled as she ran in and jumped on the bed. "Why are you still in bed?"

He stared at her in shock for a few moments, which dissolved into sheer joy when she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, and he pushed away his pillow to embrace her. "Monkey," he murmured into her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Are you all right? What are you doing here?"

"I'm fine," she replied, and pulled away slightly so she could look him in the eye. Her face was open, her grin almost as wide as normal, her eyes shining with it, and he knew she wasn't hiding anything from him. "I wanted to see you, Uncle Steve and I got Mommy to bring me over. I'm staying here with you and him today and tomorrow,"

He was astounded, and looked up when he heard someone else at the threshold to the bedroom. Steve was there, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, smiling at them with the soft smile Danny loved from him. When he saw Danno looking at him he walked over and perched on the side of the bed, Grace between them. "Rachel was fine with it," he explained to him, and laid a hand on Grace's back. "It's your weekend after all." He frowned at him when Danny didn't say anything, suddenly worried. "Is this okay?"

In reply his partner murmured something in Grace's ear, and, all of a sudden, Steve found himself with armfuls of Williams', Grace let go of her father and turned quickly to leap on him, and Danny sat up and embraced them both. "This is wonderful, Steve," he assured him. "Thank you, so much,"

Steve smiled at him. "I love you both," he replied, making him smile even more. "It's no trouble, at all."

Danny rested his chin on Grace's shoulder and studied his partner for a moment before he nodded. Steve hadn't actually said to him that he loved him before, Danny had known, the guy had given him enough clues after all, but this: those words and his daughter here, after everything they had just been through, pushed through the depression he was sinking into. It was enough, he had the two people he loved more than life in his arms, and things might be starting to get better.

End


	16. 216

2.16 (bit more slash)

* * *

Danny didn't know how much more he could take – first his daughter was kidnapped, then he saw his friend, partner, lover pulled over a roof, and almost, _almost _down more than 15 storeys, and then had to watch him get hit by a car, roll over the top and land in an ungainly heap on the ground behind it. He ran, ignoring the other guy for the time being, and crouched beside his partner, virtually knocking Lori out of the way as he did so. "Steve!" he called, hands quickly checking him over, noting his bloodied face, the blood from his head injury, his non-response. "Steve, Babe? Talk to me!" He checked his pulse and breathed in relief when he found one, looked down at him and smiled in relief when Steve blinked up at him. "Steve!" he grinned. "Are you with me?"

It took a few moments but the SEAL managed to reply. "…Yeah…" he said quietly. "What…?"

"You and Vonakov got hit by a car." his partner replied, and glanced over at the man in question. Lori had got the message when Danny had shoved her out of his way and she and Kono were checking out the other guy. "He's alive," Danny replied and looked back at his partner. "There's plenty of blood now, we can get a sample."

Steve laughed quietly and tried to nod, but Danny still had a tight hold of his head in his hands and he couldn't move. "Let me up, Danny," he asked him, and frowned when his friend shook his head.

"Hell no," Danny retorted and shook his head. "You've been hit by a car, something bigger than you, so you're going to HMC in an ambulance, whenever they decide to turn up," he added acidly and looked around them again to see if any help was coming. Even as he looked around he could hear sirens, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the bus virtually skid round the corner and to a stop nearby. "You're going to the hospital, Steve," he told him firmly. "Once you're there," he added quickly, trying to stop him protesting. "We have an excuse to be there. One of the ladies can go and get some samples while I'm making a fuss over you. Got it?"

Steve sighed and relaxed, seeing on the look on his partner's face was not going to let him up any time soon. "Okay," he agreed, "Okay, Danno, okay."

* * *

Steve was surprised it worked, Chin was out of Russian custody, the actual killer and rapist was in custody, sort of, and he was about to get out of the hospital himself. Danny was waiting for him, looking a bit ragged round the edges, and Steve quickly signed the paperwork and handed it to the charge nurse before he turned to face his partner. "All done, Danno," he assured him and grinned. "You can take me home now."

Danny lifted one eyebrow at him and canted his head to one side as he studied him. "I can, can I?" he asked him dryly. "You think you can order me around, SuperSEAL?"

Steve huffed a laugh and walked over to him, draping his arm over his best friend's strong shoulders. "Yep, I can, Danno," he told him fondly. He was pleased his partner was feeling up to snarking at him, he remembered the sheer panic on his face when he had been leaning over him on the street, and he was pleased that look had gone, he hated to scare him like that. Danny leant into him for a moment, which showed the sailor just how frightened he had been, and Steve hugged him tightly before he let him go. "I'm okay," he told him again, and looked down at him. "Really. I just got the okay, it's fine."

Danny shook his head and looked down at the floor before he looked back up at him. "I watched you get hit by a car, Steve," he retorted darkly. "You went flying. I could have lost you, again."

Steve knew where he was coming from, he was seeing Korea again, and he turned round and slipped both arms around him, embracing him tightly. "No, Danny," he replied, pressing his face into Danny's neck as he held on. "I'm fine, its okay, just a couple of cuts and bruises."

Danny hugged him back, arms around his waist, and laid his face on his partner's shoulder, and he closed his eyes and breathed him in. "God, Steve," he breathed, and simply held on. "Please don't do that to me again. I just got you."

Steve moved a little so he could press a kiss to his partner's cheek. "I'll do my best," he told him seriously, both of them knowing that's all he could do in their line of work. Just running across the street had gotten him this time, next time? Neither of them wanted to think about it, so he raised his head completely and looked down at his partner. "Come on, Danno," he said to him, his voice soft and fond. "Take me home. You can check me over yourself."

Danny smiled and nodded. "I will," he agreed. "Thoroughly. But first," he suggested and let go with one hand so he could cup Steve's cheek in his palm. "Let me check your mouth."

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "Has that line worked for you before?" he asked him, highly amused. And then cut off Danny's reply by showing him just how well his mouth worked.

* * *

Lori had just heard that Steve was ready to go home and made the decision to see if he needed a lift home. She got to the door of his room and was just about to barge in uninvited when she heard Steve's deep throaty chuckle and then his voice. When he stopped talking she took the opportunity to sneak a peak through the gap between the barely open door and frame and got a view that surprised her – Steve was kissing Danny, not just kissing, it looked like they were tasting each other's tonsils, and the way they were actually pressed against each other, embracing each other tightly, told her that it wasn't just a kiss of relief. That would explain the looks Kono and Chin were giving her whenever she had been trying to flirt with Steve she thought to herself when she ducked back out of the way. He was already taken and by a guy that even she could see was in love with him.

She smiled, yes, she had lost out, and she would have been annoyed about that a few weeks ago, but now she knew Danny that much better she didn't think she could have to a better person. She surprised herself with that thought, but then realised she hadn't put too much into her flirting, she had wanted to do a good job more. And Danny at least had the patience and temper to keep Steve under some modicum of control, she had worried that she wouldn't have the strength to do that. So she was happy for them, and decided to show that. She straightened up, checked she was presentable and simply walked into the room, knocking on the door as she did so. "Steve, do you want…?" she started, and then grinned at the sight she could take in fully.

Neither guy obviously cared who saw them together, neither moved away, they didn't break off their kiss or embrace, and she looked them up and down and grinned. "You two look so hot like that," she told them truthfully, and grinned even more when Danny opened one eye and looked at her. It was his smile that broke off their kiss, and he laughed quietly and nodded. "It's been said," he replied, and then looked back up at his lover. "Kono said the same thing."

"Uh huh," Steve agreed, smiling down at him, and then looked across at Lori. "Are you okay?" he asked her. "What can we do for you?"

She laughed too and waved a hand in their direction. "You obviously don't need a lift home," she replied, implying why she was there. "But if you want to thank me for asking, you can always let me watch," she added impishly.

Steve flushed scarlet when he figured that one out and buried his face in his partner's neck to hide it. Danny laughed loudly and waved her away. "Nope, not gonna happen, Lori." he told her firmly. "This SuperSEAL is mine, no one gets to look at him in all his glory, and what glory, apart from me. You want one?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Who wouldn't?"

He grinned. "You'll have to get your own," he retorted. "Now be gone with you, I'm taking my lover boy home to make sure he's in one piece."

Lori sighed theatrically and shook her head. "I was only offering to help you with that." she commented, and winked at him. "You know, help you make sure he's in one piece. But I guess I'll have to go to that meeting with the Governor instead."

Steve looked up at her and frowned. "What meeting with the Governor?" he queried, his embarrassment gone, for now. "Please tell me I don't have to go to?"

Lori shook her head. "Don't worry, you don't," she assured him. "I'll let him know Danny is taking good care of you. But really," she added. "All joking aside, you do match each other perfectly."

Danny nodded and Lori noted he was still possessively caressing Steve's face with his hand, as if he had to remind himself that his lover was still there, and remind her that the SEAL was, as he had said, all his.

"We do," Steve agreed with her, and to show leant his chin on Danny's temple for a moment. "Thanks," he said to her gratefully, and she knew he wasn't just meaning for the lift. "Fill me in on the meet?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," Danny interrupted, and gave them both a meaningful look. "Scoot, Lori." he suggested, and pulled away from Steve, but only marginally. "I really do need to get this goof home, they'll start to charge us rent if we stay too much longer."

"Can't have that," she replied, and waved at them as she turned and walked back out of the room. She smiled, and knew that that image of the pair of them together was probably going to feature in some of her more lurid fantasies from now on. And why the hell not?

* * *

The next morning Steve woke and knew immediately he was going to need some pretty strong painkillers before he did anything. Danny was waking slowly beside him, and he knew, the moment he asked, his partner would help him out, probably before he asked. Even as he thought about it and hand appeared in front of his face and, as he blinked up at it Danny appeared in his line of vision. "Morning, Babe," his partner greeted him and showed him the pills he had in his hand. "You're not going to argue with me, are you?" he asked him, one eyebrow raised.

Steve shook his head, and groaned when it sent a spike of pain up from his shoulders, up his neck into the back of his head. "No," he said to him through clenched teeth.

"Good," Danny approved, and helped him into a reclining position. He was going to hand Steve the pills but his lover smiled and caught his hand in one of his huge ones and pushed it towards his own mouth. He took the pills in, licking Danny's hand as he did so, and took the bottle of water his partner handed him from the other one with a grin.

"Ew." Danny told him with a frown and wiped his palm on the blanket covering Steve's chest, but watched him closely when he drank half the water. "Gone?" he asked, and laughed quietly when Steve opened his mouth and showed him it was empty. "Child," Danny said to him fondly and repossessed the water bottle so he could put it back onto the nightstand.

"Parent," Steve retorted as fondly and gathered him back against him, arms tightly around him. He smiled as Danny snuggled close against him again and pressed a kiss to his throat, the SEAL would never had thought his feisty partner was a snuggler. But he was, Danny loved to press close against him, and Steve loved to hold him as well. Danny fit perfectly around him, against him, in all of his dark spaces, and he loved it.

They spent the day mostly in bed, lazing around as Steve rested and took all his painkillers and antibiotics, with Danny fussing over him. He wasn't badly hurt, he just ached today, and he was pleased, ready, willing and able to have Grace over night when Rachel dropped her off. Danny's panic that Rachel would stop his access to his daughter after Peterson had been unfounded, in fact Grace had wanted, needed to spend a lot more time with her Danno, her therapist agreed and here they were, every Wednesday and Thursday, and every other weekend from Friday school home time to Tuesday morning. It was helping them both, Steve knew Danny was still affected by it however he tried to hide it, and, he had to admit, it had affected him too. So he was happy to swim with her in the bay while Danny made dinner, but kept coming out to check on them, pleased to offer his helpful advice when the father and daughter were making sandcastles, and content to stand by the door to Grace's bedroom while Danny tucked her in later that night.

By then his aches and receded, he was mostly back to normal, and he took Danny to bed early and showed him exactly how well he was. He took it slow, teasing him, caressing Danny's gorgeous body, sucking him into a pleading, moaning heap, then tugging on his balls to stop him from cumming before he moved lower and laved his lover's tight little pucker with his tongue. Danny by this time had one hand in Steve's hair, rhythmically massaging his scalp, and he had shoved his other fist in his mouth, trying not to yell when Steve pistoned his tongue inside him. Steve only stopped when he felt Danny was relaxed enough, and virtually ejaculating from his ministrations, but only quickly enough to reach for a condom wrapper and some lube he had left on the nightstand. "Ready, Danno?" he asked him as he ripped the wrapper off.

Danny pulled his fist from his mouth and nodded. "Fuck…. me, Steve…." he breathed, and watched while his partner grinned and rolled the condom down his own hard cock. Danny's eyes widened as he dribbled lube on the head and spread it around with his thumb, and almost bugged out when Steve leant his head back and pumped himself with his hand.

"Jesus, Steve," Danny moaned and spread his legs some more. "Fuck me already before you make us both cum,"

Steve looked back at him and grinned, let himself go and moved back, in between Danny's legs. "If you insist," he replied and lined himself up. He didn't wait, he couldn't, and he pushed home inside his lover he sighed and stretched out over him. "You're beautiful, Danny," he murmured, and pressed a kiss to his mouth as he settled deep.

Danny kissed him back and wrapped his legs around Steve's waist, opening himself up more for him. "So are you, Love," he murmured and squeezed his muscles around him. That was enough to get Steve to start moving, and he stared down at him as he fucked him deep. Danny's reactions always spurred him on, as they did now, and every time they did this it was different. Tonight he was quiet but still vocal, breathy moans that told Steve he had found the right spot, and he angled himself to make sure he hit that with each thrust.

Neither were going to last long, and Steve controlled himself, however difficult it was, to pull another orgasm out of Danny before he ejaculated himself. "Love you, Danno," he murmured as he slumped, spent, over him. And surprised himself with just how much he meant it. "Love you."

* * *

The next day, the shit hit the fan, and Steve had to deal with it before Danny got to the office. They had split at home, Steve driving into the office in the truck while Danny took Grace to school in the Camaro.

But by the time the blond got there Steve's good mood had gone and he was pacing his own space, waiting for him. Danny spotted him when he walked in the door, frowned, and walked straight over to them. "Babe?" he asked as he walked into the office. "Are you all right? What's going on?"

Steve looked up at him and walked over to quickly pull down the blinds to give them some privacy. "Lori resigned," he told him as he caught him in a tight hug. "Denning forced her out because she hadn't been doing the job she was hired for."

Danny embraced him tightly back and a few moments as he took that in. "What is she going to do?" he asked. "Did she say?"

"She's got family back east, she said," Steve explained to him. "I'm sorry to see her go, but …" He paused and shrugged. "Rather her than Chin, I guess."

Danny sighed – he kind of liked Lori but he agreed with Steve, rather her than Chin. "What else?" he asked after some thought. "Has something else happened?"

Steve laughed quietly and nodded. "I can't hide anything, can I?" he asked him fondly.

Danny shook his head. "No, you can't," he retorted. "I am a detective, after all. Just tell me, Love. What's going on?"

Steve sighed and did it in one go. "I've got to go and do some reserve training on the USS Enterprise," he explained to him. "I got the call while you were dropping Grace off. It's for six days, and the transport is due out tonight."

Danny pulled back and looked up at him with a frown. "They just called you this morning?" he asked, confused. "What if you were doing something else that you couldn't get out of?"

Steve shrugged. "I would have had to make a decision between the Navy and whatever else I was doing," he explained. "But if you want me to stay…?"

Danny shook his head. "You know I'm not going to do that, Babe," he assured him. Then he paused and frowned at him. "Is that where your Lieutenant serves?" he asked warily.

Steve nodded. "She's going to be there," he agreed. "But I'm going to be with other SEALs on some training exercises," he explained. "I'm not going to see her often."

Danny looked away, and from the slump of his shoulders Steve knew what was going through his mind. However much he tried to hide it his shorter lover was insecure, especially when it came to their relationship, the blond seemed to think that he was going to be alone as soon as Steve found someone better than him. Which was not going to happen, ever. "Danny," Steve said to him firmly and refused to let him go. "I'm going to tell her about us, that I'm with you and she and I can't have sex any more. I'm not going to sleep with her, Danny, I promise."

Danny took a breath and looked up at him. "I trust you implicitly." he assured him. "I'm just scared that you'll realise that she's so much better…."

"Stop," Steve stopped him, and bent over him to kiss him. "She's not better, she's different, I love her, but I love you a lot more," he assured him. "Trust me, Danny. You are who I want, not her. I need to meet up with her to get the transport, I'll tell her then. Are you going to be okay?"

Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he replied. "Yes, Steve," he assured him, and knew he would be. "Just make sure you are, okay? Don't do anything stupid like falling off the boat, okay?"

Steve grinned down at him and nodded. "Ship, Danno," he corrected him. "Ship. And I promise."

Danny nodded and moved up to kiss him deeply, tasting his mouth. "Just make sure you do," he said forcibly when they broke off. "Please."

Steve nodded and promised him he would with another kiss.

End


	17. 217

2.17

* * *

Steve knew, the moment he stepped into his house, that Danny was pissed at him. He could hear the smoke alarm from outside the house, see a stream of it coming out of the fan extraction point, and the moment he opened the front door he was engulfed.

Danny turned to face him; a surprised expression on his face, and Steve momentarily stared at him, admiring his trim form in his house, which always made him grin. Which faded when he spotted the on fire frying pan on his stove. "What the hell?" he commented, and quickly dealt with that. Then he went off on one about the mess of the house, and the dog, _the dog! _upstairs probably in his bed. Even as he was talking Steve knew he shouldn't be, knew what he should be doing was embracing his partner, his _lover, _and kissing him as if his life depended on it, but he wasn't and from the look in Danny's eyes, he was hurt because of it. But just as he was going to do something about it, pull him in, his phone buzzed and he groaned. "D…" he said, but his partner shook his head and turned away. "I'll clean this up," he told him, and started work on it, but what Danny really meant was he was gone.

It took the few minutes Steve was talking to Chin about their new case for him to realise that, and he finished off and hung up quickly, going to find him.

Danny was upstairs, changing the sheets on the bed with short, sharp, efficient moves, talking to Buddy who was sitting on the rug, watching him. The animal flapped his ears at Steve as he walked in, which was an improvement, last time they met he had growled at the SEAL when he tried to get past it into Danny's space, but he supposed because he called it a mangy mutt. Today he ignored Buddy; instead he strode over and grabbed Danny from behind, and pulled him close against him. "I'm sorry," he murmured and kissed his cheek. "I missed you so much."

Danny relaxed in his arms and leant back against him. "I missed you, too," he assured him. "But…" he began, but stopped, not really knowing what to say to him. He knew Steve had been on the Enterprise with Cat Rollins, but his partner had assured him before he had left he was just going to tell her about their new relationship and that he couldn't carry with Cat as they had been. But with Steve's reaction to him being in the house had made him think that something else had happened, and his partner had come to a realisation that Lieutenant Rambo-ette was prettier, cleverer, better than Danny for him, definitely tidier.

Steve kissed his cheek again and turned his partner around in his arms to look into his face. Danny looked away from him, but the SEAL could see his upset plain on his face. "But what, Danny?" he asked him, and embraced him tightly when his partner tried to bury in his chest. "Tell me, please."

"You don't want me here. Yes, I made a mess, but I was going to clear it before you got home," Danny explained to him, his voice muffled. "I bet you had a great time with Cat," he added after a pause.

Steve closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to his lover's temple. "I worked hard, ran some drills, tried out some new weapons, reminded myself of what life on ship was about," he explained to him quietly and held him as tightly as he could without hurting him. "And all the time I was thinking of you," he added, and kissed his temple again. "I told Cat about you, that you're my lover," he included, which was true, and looked down at him when Danny pulled away to stare at him.

"You did?" his partner asked him, some of his pain dissipating. "What did she say?"

Steve smiled and used one hand to ruffle Danny's soft hair. "She understood," he assured him. "She said she had thought something was going on with us, that she hadn't seen me quite so happy before."

Danny smiled up at him and moved a hand to lightly cup and caress Steve's face in his palm. "Are you happy?" he asked him, still worried.

Steve nodded and smiled at him. "I am," he reassured him. "Here, with you. I'm sorry I shouted at you, I was just surprised." He huffed a laugh. "I wanted to surprise you, hoped you were here so I could take you to bed and mess it up."

Danny looked away again, his smile gone. "And I ruined that," he murmured, and tried to pull away. Steve held onto him, not letting him, knowing, in his emotionally stunted way, that he had to make this right or Danny was gone. "No, you didn't," he told him, and used the hand he still had in his hair to pull him in for a kiss. Danny tasted the same as he had done last week, sweet, spicy, hot, and he loved it so he deepened their kiss, licked into his mouth and explored as if it was the first time all over again.

Danny gave as good as he got, and he jousted tongues with him, explored his mouth as well, and caressed his face with his hand. But they couldn't do any more, the case was waiting, and Steve groaned as he pulled away. "How the hell did Chin know I was back to call me for a case?" he moaned into Danny's neck, and felt as well as well as heard his partner's laughter.

"Steve!" Danny retorted, amused. "Its Chin! Of course he knows." He stood close to him for a moment before he pulled away, and smiled up at his partner. "Thank you, Babe," he said to him sincerely when Steve looked up at him. "I was worried all week."

"And now?" the SEAL asked him, hands still splayed out across his back.

"Now I'm not worried about that." Danny answered him.

Steve sighed theatrically and kissed the tip of his nose. "You worry about everything, Danno," he complained, but kissed him again anyway. "Come on," he added as he stepped back. "You can help me out of this," he indicated to his navy jump suit. "And we can mess the bed up later."

* * *

It took a couple of days but Steve finally managed to get from Danny what he was still worried about, and what he could do about it. They had, definitely messed up the bed the night after he got back from the Enterprise, Danny had cooked for him (not a frittata) but a Thai green curry, they had then both tidied up the living room, Buddy shoved out into a spare bedroom, while the Commander showed his partner just how much he had missed him. But Steve had woken when Danny had tried to slip out of bed before the sun had gotten up and he pulled him close and kissed him again. "Can't you sleep, Danno?" he asked him quietly as his partner settled back against him. "What's wrong?"

Danny turned round in his arms and laid his head on his chest. "Grace," he said simply, and let Steve think what he would.

Steve frowned at him. "Is she all right?" he asked him, concerned. "Rachel not fucking you over with custody again, is she? I was only gone six days, what's happened since then?"

Danny smiled and kissed his soft skin. "Nothing like that, goof," he murmured, and raised his head to look him in the eye. "I've got her from Friday onwards, I've arranged people, you included, to dinner there." he explained. "I want to tell her about you and I, _us, _but I'm kinda worried what she'll think."

Steve's frown deepened. "You think she won't like it?" he asked him, worried now. Danny adored his daughter, he knew that if she didn't approve of their new relationship, Danny would pull away, and he really, _really _didn't want that to happen.

"I don't know," Danny admitted. "She adores you, but I don't know what she'll do when we tell her about us."

Steve nodded and hugged him close as he thought about it. "Why don't I do it, on Friday?" he asked him. "You can be there, but if she and I take a walk on the beach, you'll be there if she gets confused and we can find out what she thinks."

Danny thought about it for a moment before he looked up again and nodded. "Okay," he agreed, and smiled slightly. "That's a good idea."

Steve smiled. "I get them, occasionally," he replied and used his strength to manhandle Danny fully onto his chest, holding him there with a large hand splayed over one of his lover's buttocks. "Another good idea," he commented, amused. "How about I help you get back to sleep?" he asked archly.

Danny knew what he meant and moved his hips across his partner's groin to show him he agreed. "Okay," he answered with a grin, as if Steve didn't know already. "If you insist."

* * *

They had another cargument over it a few hours later, Danny was obviously concerned, however much he tried to deny it, but Steve wasn't going to pull out, he had too much invested in this relationship now to back out. He adored Grace, he hadn't seen her for a week, and he really wanted to spend some time with her. So he dressed for dinner, met the pair of them at the hotel, and held on when Danny's gorgeous daughter squealed when she saw him and ran at him, arms opened. "Uncle Steve!" she yelled as he swung her up, caught her easily and hugged her close. "Danno said you were home."

"He's right," Steve answered her and put her back down. "You're looking very nice tonight, Miss Williams," he told her and brushed some of her hair from her face. "New dress?"

She nodded and twirled around to show him. "Danno bought it for me," she explained. "Do you like it?"

Steve nodded and looked her up and down. "You look beautiful, Gracie," he told her, and pulled out a small box from his pocket. "I've bought you something too. Here," he explained, and handed her the box. He had seen it earlier in a store next to the grocery store he had been using; sent Danny a photo of it and asked it he could buy it for their little girl. Danny had agreed, and here they were, Steve watching her, concerned, hoping she would like it.

Gracie opened the box and pulled out a gold pendent and chain. It was a dolphin just breaching from a wave, with a sapphire for an eye and blue enamel on the stylised wave it was coming out of. She studied it for a few moments and then looked up at the SEAL with huge eyes, Danny's eyes. "It's lovely, Uncle Steve," she said to him, awed. "Thank you so much."

He knelt in front of her and she embraced his neck, letting him kiss her cheek before she did the same to him. "My pleasure, Grace Love," he told her, very relieved. "Can I help you put it on?"

She nodded and let him go to lift her hair and turn round. She grinned at her father who was watching them with a wide smile on his face, and she ran to him to show off the necklace when Steve had attached it around her neck. "It's beautiful, Babe," he told her and kissed her forehead. "Really. Now, I think the others are here, so shall we all go down to dinner and show it off?"

She grinned, and the boys found themselves being taken wherever she wanted them to go – she stood in between them and took a hand each, and dragged them both from the suite, only pausing enough to let Danny lock it behind them.

* * *

Danny watched some time later as Steve sat with Grace on the beach in front of the hotel and they made something in the sand. It had been a few minutes, and he was pleased at least that she hadn't come running back yelling at him. Yet.

Chin spotted him watching and nudged him. "Is he doing what I think he's doing?" he asked him quietly. "Telling Grace about your relationship?"

Danny nodded. "He suggested it," he replied, but didn't take his eyes off his two favourite people on the planet. "It seems to be going well."

Chin nodded and grinned as they both watched Grace wrap her arms around Steve's neck again and she kissed his cheek. "I think she approves, brah," he told Danny fondly. "You should go over there."

Danny paused for a moment to listen to Kamekona's actual words of wisdom, the guy was a deep well, before he nodded and stood. "I'll go now," he told him, and walked away to the soft sound of Chin's laughter.

The noise faded as he walked over to the two, out of the restaurant and across the sand. He stood behind them both for a moment and watched them as they arranged some shells and stones the pair had collected into a butterfly shape, and smiled as Grace chatted to Steve about them being state insects and such like. The pair of them loved each other, Danny knew, it was obvious the way they interacted, the way Steve always made sure Grace was involved in anything the three of them did together, that he always made time for her, always spoke to her, played with her and spent a lot of time with her in the sea. Grace also adored him, she would always ask Danny how Steve was when they spoke, she always wanted to spend time with him whenever she could, always added him in any of her artwork, and always greeted him as if she hadn't seen him for months, rather than days.

Steve looked up from their sculpture when he noticed Danny and smiled at him. "You're Dad's here, Gracie," he told her, and she looked up and grinned at him.

"Danno," she greeted him and patted a space beside her on the sand. "You can help us."

Danny smiled and knelt on the sand beside her, within arms reach of Steve, looked at what they were doing. "I don't want to ruin it, Babe," he replied, but took the stone Steve handed him anyway.

"No, you won't, Danno," he told him, and received a nod from Gracie too.

Chin watched, sipping some beer, as the trio interacted as a family, and nodded. Kono had been right a couple of days ago, Steve made Danny happy, Danny made Steve happy, and the pair of them were perfect together. The only thing that could have caused a problem was sitting in between them and laughing and chatting with them, so he relaxed and saluted them all with his beer bottle before turning back to the conversation around them.

End


	18. 218

2.18

* * *

Steve studied his partner's feet for a moment and smiled. Danny was going native, finally, and he seemed to be pulling himself out of his low after Peterson. Tony seemed to have put some life back into his partner's eyes, with his petty little insults for both of them, his annoying comments, but, he admitted, 'book'em muscles' might have to be something he started to use himself. Danny already called him an idiot, several times a week, so he could always use another little insult for him.

Danny was back though, the spark that had attracted Steve to him in the first place seemed to be back, and it glowed every time the shorter man turned to look at the SEAL, every time, especially when they were bickering. "You know, if you were thinking about not wearing shoes more often, you need to get some nail clippers, Danno," he commented, just to rile him up.

It worked, and Danny started again, grinning at him, his eyes alight, and Steve kicked his own shoes off and settled down to watch the show.

Archer didn't know how right he was when he offered marriage counselling, but Steve knew they didn't need it, not now. He was reassured of Danno's affections, love, when he started on him about something or other, he didn't need anyone else telling him, just Danny calling him a goof, or something else as fond told him all he needed to know.

* * *

Later, at home, Steve lay back in bed thoughtfully. The old retired cop was right with some things though, the pair of them knew what each other were thinking, most of the time and right now Steve was thinking how handsome his partner was when he was relaxed, hair mussed, eyes closed, fast asleep, and how young he looked when he was completely out of it. He was snuggled close against him, his blond head resting on Steve's chest, one muscular arm draped over Steve's waist, the other hand cupped around the nape of Steve's neck. Their legs were intertwined, and his breath tickled across the SEAL's skin in a gentle caress, reminding him with every exhale just how content Danny was to be with him, and the thought made him tighten the arm he held around Danny's shoulders a little to hold him closer. He smiled and pressed a kiss into Danny's hair and another on his temple, and he repeated the same words he had spoken when he had ejaculated deep inside his lover earlier. "I love you."

Danny moved a little to get more comfortable and ended up with his face buried in Steve's throat. "Love you too, goof," he murmured, his voice muffled. "Go back to sleep."

Steve grinned and closed his eyes, turning his face towards him. "Your wish, my command," he replied, and fell asleep to Danny's throaty chuckle.

End


	19. 219

2.19

* * *

Danny had had an odd day, first being called nothing more than a 'kinda surfing buddy' by his lover, his partner, that had upset him, and then, before he could even process that, or get something out of his partner about it, Steve got a phone call and was shocked at whomever was on the other end. To say _he_ was shocked that Kaleo was involved in it all was an understatement; he had hoped he would never have to think about that man again. He had murdered the first person on this pineapple-infested hellhole that had ever spoken to Danny with anything other than disgust and intolerance, and it had taken a lot of control for the detective to just punch him a couple of times and break his face.

And then the guy had the temerity to threaten Grace? Hell no.

So he had done what he could, investigated the case to the best of his ability not just because it was _Mary _the asshole had used in his scheme, and Steve did not deserve that shit. But it also gave him some satisfaction to watch as Fryer walked Kaleo out of his cell in protective wing to the main cell block, and wondered how long it would take to be called back here for an attack on the ex cop.

But he couldn't get Steve's words out of his mind – surf buddies. Was that all Steve thought of him? After everything, was that all he was to him? Did he not realise when Danny told him he loved him, he meant it? Or did he just not care?

He dropped Fryer off at HPD and drove the short distance to the palace where they were based, but didn't get out of the car. Kono had gotten the other cake so he didn't need to rush, but he had to think what he was doing here. He had given his heart to someone, again, and the longer it went on, the more it seemed that his partner, his _lover_ didn't feel the same way about him. Steve had told him that he had spoken to Catherine when he had been on the USS Enterprise, but he hadn't said what, and he hadn't said they'd not slept together again either. Maybe Steve thought Danny was his land based fuck buddy when he wasn't on active service, and Cat when he was?

He sighed and decided he was doing nothing good for himself going over everything in the car. He needed to speak to Steve, needed to get something from him rather than just a goofy grin and handsy porn, and he needed it soon.

* * *

Steve cornered his partner in his office after his impromptu party and crowded him against his desk with a grin. "Salt cake, huh?" he asked him, and pulled him close. "And a grenade?"

Danny, who had been packing stuff up to go home when he felt Steve press against him took a breath and decided now was as good a time as any. He turned round in the circle of his partner's arms and looked up at him. "It seemed appropriate," he answered him and studied his expressions. "The gun one is at your place in the fridge."

Steve smiled, wrapped his arms further around Danny's waist and pressed his forehead against his partner's. "I liked that one," he told him, his voice husky. "A lot."

"Hmm," Danny murmured and moved a hand to gently cup his partner's face in one hand. "Good," he replied, and closed his eyes. But he pulled back when his partner tried to kiss him.

Steve's smile faded and he stared down at his partner in sudden worry. "Danno?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Danny sighed and opened his eyes to look up at him, into his worried face, one he hated to see. "I need to know how you feel about me, Steve," he told him bluntly. "What does 'surf buddy' mean to you? To me it means … nothing much." He shook his head. "If that's all you think of me, then I can't …" He paused and tried to think it through. "I've been there, done that, gave someone everything I had, and it wasn't enough for her. _I _wasn't good enough for her, and it ripped me apart. I can't do that again." He shook his head. "Surf buddy?"

Steve forgot to breathe in his panic, but he didn't let him go, he couldn't. He didn't understand it, he had thought Danny was happy with what they had been doing, and he knew he was. Danny had told him when they were first starting out that he didn't do casual, and he had seen the state he had been in when they first met, and up to just about a few months ago, because of Rachel's machinations, and he hated to be the cause of that again. So he had to grow a backbone, he knew it, and he had to do it now, or he would lose what he knew was the best thing he had.

"Danny," he said to him quietly and squeezed his arms around him tightly. "You mean so much to me, I've never felt like this about anyone else." He pressed a gentle kiss to his partner's mouth and smiled slightly at him. "You know I'm not good with words," he murmured, and was pleased at the smile he got in return. Danny was still there, still with him, still lightly caressing his face with his hand, his touch, as usual, calming him, reassuring him, giving him strength. With Danny's love and faith in him Steve felt he could rule the world, so what were a few words when this was at stake? "I love you, Danny Williams," he assured him and kissed him again. "Don't ever be worried about that."

Danny stared at him for a few moments as his brain stuttered at the words he had heard. Steve loved him, Steve, SuperSEAL, ninja extraordinaire, tall, dark and deadly loved _him_? It was something he had wished, wanted, _needed _to hear but never thought he would, and he smiled at him, so wide he thought his face would split apart. "You…? Me…? Really?" he stammered. Steve had said it before, but normally when he was blissed out after an orgasm, so Danny hadn't taken it as read. But he obviously should have.

Steve chuckled and nodded. "Eloquent, Danny, not," he commented dryly. "Really," he added, and kissed him again. "Don't ever think I don't."

They stared at each other for a moment before Danny smiled finally. "Okay," he answered, and stood on tiptoes to hunt for another kiss Steve was more than happy to give him. "So, take me home and show me, SuperSEAL," he retorted when they broke off.

Steve grinned and hugged him tightly momentarily before he nodded and let him go. "With pleasure," he answered, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the office and out of the building to the car and home.

End


	20. 220

2.20

* * *

Steve had simply left him a note, nothing more, just a stupid note! Danny had thought they were in this for the long haul; he was anyway, but Steve? It was obvious now that Steve didn't feel the same way about him, if he trusted Danny at all he wouldn't leave him a stupid note!

And he wouldn't ignore him either. Danny had left him God knew how many voicemails, but, when he called the last time, it was obvious Steve had cut him off; he'd not got the voice mail option and he'd almost thrown his phone across the office in anger. But, a new case had come in, and he found himself dealing with that. His anger and worry for McGarrett faded as his anger and worry for Max increased. It didn't disappear completely, and when he had a spare minute it flared up again. The only good thing about this whole situation was he got to drive his own car.

That advantage didn't keep his worry, no, his fear at bay for long, but the silence from Steve continued however many times he called him or left a message.

Danny knew he was fighting a losing battle, he had probably never been on the winning side of this one, when he was alone for a few minutes when Kono and Chin had gone back to the church. He'd never been able to win with Steve, SuperSEAL was just too far out of his league, and the way he had just walked away told Danny that Steve knew that too. He should have known with his partner's 'Surf buddy' comment, he'd meant that, obviously, and anything he'd said afterwards to reassure Danny was probably just bull to get laid.

It didn't occur to the blond for one moment that Steve had gone to keep him safe, he'd said it to Chin but Danny hadn't believed it when he was saying it. And it also hadn't crossed his mind that Steve had left him in charge of 5-0 because he was confident Danny could do the job better than him, that he could keep the islands safe while he himself went elsewhere to solve, or try to, his own problems.

Neither did he think that Steve still felt guilty about Danny and the rest of the team risking their lives for him in Korea. That didn't cross his mind because Danny didn't blame him for any of that, he would do it again without a thought, but Steve, the great moron, didn't realise that either.

Neither of them had thought about the other's reasons and reactions properly, Steve had decided Danny shouldn't go because he might be in danger, and he had thought Danny would understand his note and his reasoning.

Danny had thought Steve understood his worries about the SEAL's safety, their relationship, and when he told him he loved him he meant it.

But it seemed not, to Danny at least it seemed he was doomed to be spending the rest of his life being second best, to be someone's stop gap until something better came along.

* * *

Steve checked his phone and saw yet another missed call from Danny, and a voicemail. He had listed to every one of those messages, heard everything his lover wasn't saying, and he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. Danny was upset, that much was obvious, angry and worried, and the SEAL knew he should have done something other than left him a note. But Danny would have demanded to come with him, and Steve didn't trust Joe White enough with his lover's safety even in Hawaii, let alone somewhere else entirely. His thumb hovered over speed dial 1 to call him so he could tell him, but he paused and cursed quietly. It was difficult enough to look at the screensaver on his phone, Danny and Grace's matching eyes and expressions normally calmed him, but here, now in Japan they accused him of abandoning them. If he heard Danny's voice, demanding that he come home, or that Steve tell him where he was so he could get a flight out, the Commander knew he wouldn't be able to persuade him to stay there. So, despite however much he wanted to, he didn't call Danny, he didn't send him a text either, although he had one already typed out and saved on his phone.

"I think of you, I miss you, I need you, I love you," he'd written, hidden it from Joe when he was thinking about it, the other SEAL wouldn't understand how he felt about the Jersey native or why, not that Steve actually cared any more about Joe and his concerns.

But the longer it took, the more days he was away, chasing shadows, the more upset Danny was sounding, tired, frustrated, lonely.

So, when he was sitting on yet another bullet train with Joe and an Interpol agent, he pulled out his phone again and went through it.

"Williams calling again?" Joe, sitting opposite him, asked, and then turned to the other guy with them. "Cop from New Jersey, short, loud," he said to their companion dismissively. "Doesn't trust Steve on his own,"

The Commander was surprised at how angry his blithe words made him, and he sat forward and punched Joe, hard, in the shoulder. "He's the best person I've ever worked with, he's the bravest person I know," he snapped at him when the older guy turned to glare at him, rubbing where he had punched him. "He's never lied to me, never kept anything from me, unlike you. None of his pathetic secrets caused my father to be murdered, unlike you," he added harshly. "I trust him with my life, with Mary's life." He shook his head and sat back in the seat. "I trust you to lie to me, I know you'll run at the first sign of trouble, and I wouldn't be surprised that we find out you're working for Wo Fat and you'll put a bullet or two in the back of my head when he tells you."

Joe glared at him and shook his head. "I'm not," he replied and studied him. "If you thought that why did you come?"

Steve sighed and looked down at the picture on his phone again. "Because I want this over," he told him after a few moments. "I want this done so I can live my life, so I can forget I ever had the misfortune to know you." With that he pulled up the text message he had saved and quickly sent it to Danno before he could think better of it. He needed his lover to know how he felt about him, how much he needed him, and, as he stared back out at the Japanese countryside passing him by in a blur, he just hoped he could be home soon and he could show him.

He loved Danny, he had no doubts about that, and not only that he was in love with him too; every time he was anywhere near the guy he wanted him, every day he found something more that he loved about him. His tiny feet, his small hands that made him feel so good, reassured, better, whichever way he touched him; his voice, whether he was shouting at him or not, it washed over him in a warm waves of caring that he hadn't had in a long time. There was so much more about him that astounded Steve, so many things hidden in that compact form, and he flicked through some photos he had on his phone of his man and ignored the other two with him for as long as he could. Those photos and his own imagination would have to do until he could get home. Back to Danno.

End


	21. 221

2.21

* * *

Chin Ho Kelly was a worried man. He was worried about small pox on his islands, worried about his family, Malia and Kono especially, but he was more, much more worried about Danny. The man was quiet, reserved, completely opposite of his normal lively self that he was beginning to think the guy was depressed. He would not, actually, be surprised if Danny was diagnosed with some sort of depressive illness, from the start of the year going from the highest high, thinking he was going to be a father again, to the lowest low when he found out he wasn't, and things getting worse for him since then. Chin felt guilty some times when he felt so happy, when he was with Malia in their lovely house, and he thought about Danny being virtually homeless and alone and lonely. But he knew the other detective would rip him a new one if he told him he felt that way, he would tell him that Chin deserved it, and Malia definitely, and not to be so moronic.

Danny deserved it as well, and Chin had thought Steve was providing that for him – Danny had definitely been happier, as had Steve from after his wedding, it was obvious something had changed, and for the better, in their relationship.

But now Steve had gone, left on his own, again, something he had promised them all he wouldn't do in the hospital after they had gotten him back from Korea, and Danny was bereft.

Chin thought, reminding himself of when he watched from the door to Steve's study in the beach house that his colleague and friend looked smaller than he had done, hunched over the paperwork on the desk in front of him, trying, probably in vain, to find out where Steve had gone. He couldn't leave him to deal like this, so he walked in, calling his name quietly. "Danny?" he asked, and stood close enough so he could lay a hand on the other man's tense shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

Danny had looked up at him and the expression on his face was dark, angry but mostly hurt. Whatever he told Chin was window dressing, the Lieutenant listened in between the lines and really wanted to kick McGarrett's ass at that point – Danny was upset that he had gone, angry that he had only left him a note, and hurt that after everything they had gone through, Steve didn't trust him enough to let him in, didn't love him enough to stay and let Danny help him.

But there wasn't much he could do about it there and then, before Chin could suggest anything Danny's phone had rung and they suddenly had a case – one that could spell disaster for the whole Hawaiian chain if they fucked up. Something else to weigh down those broad shoulders.

At least the small pox case provided Danny with a distraction, even if it was in the shape of two NCIS agents from the mainland. Typically one was a SEAL that knew McGarrett, and Chin noted that however much Sam wanted to talk about Steve Danny changed the conversation to something else. He really didn't want to talk about his lover, or ex, Chin didn't know at that point, and he had also noticed the look Danny had on his face when they had found out the bad guy was involved in a family dispute with Callen. He agreed, another one, another stupid feud that had caused the virtual destruction of an entire family from what Chin had gleaned from Callan, not worth it, at all.

And he understood too, why Danny was so reluctant to go into the places with the disease, especially the warehouse where they found the other three victims, hell, _he _didn't want to go in and he hadn't almost died from another biological weapon barely twelve months ago. So he took it on himself to protect his friend, he heard Callan and Hanna comment when Danny was dealing with the clean up crew from CDC and fielding a call from Denning at the same time.

Chin heard the two men before he rounded one of the many corners, and he stopped when he heard them talking. Sam Hanna had seemed to hit it off with the other detective, but Chin didn't know about the other guy.

"They work well together," Sam was saying quietly to his partner.

There was a pause so Chin thought Callan must have nodded. "Williams seems to be a bit high strung though," he said after a moment. Chin grinned and nodded himself – understatement.

Sam laughed quietly. "He's the complete opposite of Steve," he replied. "I can see why they would work together, chalk and cheese."

Chin had to agree as well, they did work very well together, Danny filled all the empty places Steve had made in and around himself, whether the other SEAL liked it or not.

"But he seems a bit reluctant to put himself in any sort of trouble," Callan added after another pause. "He hung back when we got here, I thought for a moment he wasn't going to come with us. Surely your friend Steve wouldn't work with that."

Chin was going to leap in to Danny's defence there and then, his smile faded and he clenched his fists, but he waited for Hanna to reply. "You're insane," he said with a huff. "Hell, I didn't want to walk in this place. Only someone as insane as you would want to come in here, with what we know is here. Do you _want _small pox?" he questioned. "It seems to me the sane person amongst us held back,"

Chin nodded, approved, sort of, and stepped round the corner into their eye line. "He almost died only a few months ago from sarin poisoning," he said to Callan with a glare. "And he has a daughter."

Callan had the good grace to look away for a moment and then nod. "I didn't know that," he replied and looked up at him again. "Sarin huh? That must have been bad,"

"It was," Chin replied bleakly. "You try watching your friend struggle for every breath, then go into convulsions and pass out in front of you, because he tried to help someone else. Better yet," he added and got in Callan's space. "Go through it yourself,"

The mainlander thought about it for a moment, made sure he stayed relaxed, he didn't want the other man in front of him to fly off the handle, he didn't know how he would protect himself from that, even if he could – Chin Ho Kelly, and Danny Williams, were really unknown entities to him. Before he could say anything, his own partner stepped in.

"Like I said, G," Sam told him with a soothing smile. "The only sane one of us."

Other things Chin had noticed concerned him too – yes, Danny was eating at Kamekona's, he really did love the big guy's garlic shrimp, but not as much as he had been known to put away, and it was getting more obvious that his clothes were getting too large for him, his shirts didn't stretch as much over his shoulders, and he had started to use another hole in his belt, tighter than before. He was tired too, Chin had seen him tired before, of course, in their job, the term _office hours _didn't really have any meaning. But at least before he would have Steve to take him home and make him sleep. Now though he didn't have that, and Chin remembered how panicked Danny had been when he had figured out almost immediately that Steve was in trouble in Korea, before any of the rest of them had even had an inkling of being any trouble. At least then they had known the area he was in, now all they had was a vague map in the McGarrett house that pinpointed an area in Japan, and Steve may not even have gone in that direction.

So he was tired, irritable, worried, scratch that, probably petrified for his partner, so much so he wasn't eating well, and Chin decided there and then as he watched the other guy put down his fork after only eating about half of the small portion he had asked for, that he was going to take him home when this had finished and ask Malia to take care of him. She was fond of Danny, she wouldn't take much persuading, and it might stop her from going after him for a while, she seemed to take real offence at his love of the 'occasional' cocoa puff or malasada, or three that he and Kono shared as breakfast – most days.

But before he could do that and actually take him home with him, Danny got another call from Kono and they were moving again.

He sighed, took a last longing look at the food and beer they had amassed, and jogged after the other three men back to the cars. He wondered, as he followed the silver Camaro, if Steve knew just how good Danny was at pursuit driving, but then decided just to concentrate on getting there in one piece. And then, a few minutes later, wondered just what LA was going to be like on his lungs.

* * *

LA

Danny looked around when they got off the flight and sighed. This was the first time he had been back on the mainland since he had moved to Hawaii, and he had hoped he would have been going over to Jersey with Grace to see his parents, rather than chasing after some crazy with a bio weapon. And the moment he found himself there, he started to feel home sick, he wanted to go home, and that meant back to Hawaii, not to Jersey. He felt … out of sorts here, he didn't know anyone here, he didn't know the way they worked here, in fact he felt the same here as he had when he had stepped foot on Hawaiian soil for the first time. At least he had back up this time, he had a friend with him, and he turned his head and saw Chin standing next to him, looking around them as they followed Sam and G. His friend noted him watching him and looked at him with a smile. "Ready for the crazy?" Chin asked him quietly as they made into the terminal building.

Danny shook his head but smiled back at him. "Kono and Steve would fit right in though," he retorted wryly.

Chin nodded. "Uh huh," he agreed. "True." He kept an eye on his partner for the day, as he had promised Kono, and hid his amusement quite well, he thought. It was quite obvious Danny had a thing about needles, the way he was prevaricating at the injection, and the green tinge he had when Deeks fell over … although Hetty had stabbed him with the needle pretty badly.

It was also obvious that Danny wanted to go home, two calls to Grace in under 6 hours, the painful sniping at Deeks, the lack of any sort of enjoyment in the work on the case. At least he and the two NCIS agents had had some sort of twisted pleasure from attacking the trailer with a JCB, Danny had just given them a slight fake smile and stepped back to let them do it. Chin understood it, really he did, he wanted to get back to Malia and Kono, even some of his extended family, but he had thought Danny would be enjoying being on the mainland a bit more than he was. But then again, he would probably feel better if Grace was with him and they weren't chasing a crazy woman with a pandemic-inducing bug in her handbag. Or if Chin were actually Steve.

Despite thinking about it, Chin wasn't insulted. Danny was, and would probably be forever in love with the SEAL, it was written all over his face when they were together. Steve though, kept his feelings close to his chest, or tried to. It was obvious to those close to him that he loved Danny, but whether he was actually in love with Danny was another matter. The Lieutenant just hoped his friends and colleagues would figure this out soon, that they were the most compatible pair Chin had ever seen, and they could be fab together. If Danny would get some self-confidence, he had plenty of bluster, plenty of fearless bravery, masses of intelligence and integrity, but lacked any positivity about his own self worth. Steve had an ego that almost matched his abilities to create havoc and mayhem, but he was more than enough for Danny's big heart, he needed the other detective more than air, that was obvious, but he needed to get that stick out of his ass and let go of his obsession with Wo Fat so he could spend his time loving Danny. And the sooner both of them could figure it out the better – he and Kono could stop babysitting them and he could work on her, she was hiding something, someone from him and he didn't like it.

But first things first, they had a crazy mad scientist to catch.

End


	22. 222

2.22

* * *

13 minutes, he had 13 minutes to get out of there, to an airfield somewhere in someone else's car, after he had broken out of a CIA compound, dealt with a couple of agents, to save Steve's butt. After the SEAL had left him a simple note and disappeared off the face of the planet for a few weeks, and Danny had found himself elbow deep in politics as well as his work as a cop. Not to mention how he felt about being abandoned by his partner, his _lover._ But that could wait. What he had to do now was get there and make sure the CIA and/or the Yakuza didn't finish him off. So he drove like a madman, not giving a crap about the other people on the road, the gestures as he threw the Impala into a slide around a corner, straightened up and floored it down the street, and blasted through a set of red traffic lights, dodging an SUV coming from a side street by the skin of his teeth.

And there was the airfield, finally, and he saw a way through to the main gate, but behind a whole platoon of other black SUVs that didn't look friendly. "Shit!" he yelled, and pressed his foot to the floor as much as he could. "Come on, come on!" he shouted at the car, urging any extra speed out of it, and managed to get there, through the ruined gate, before the shooting started. He could see Steve there, with Wo Fat handcuffed with him, staring down the at least twenty heavily armed Yakuza personnel in front of them. Adam Noshimuri was there too, and Danny didn't want to think about that, or that all he had was a couple of handguns he had stolen from the CIA agents.

But that didn't stop him skidding the car to a halt and climbing out of it, handgun up and ready. "Hey!" he yelled, if anything just to get all those guns away from his partner. "5-0! Put down your weapons!"

At least they weren't smirking he thought to himself as he was suddenly the centre of attention, he didn't dare look over at Steve at that point, he needed to decide who to take out first, if it came to it. Adam seemed to be upset rather than homicidal, Wo Fat was his target, and, as he watched, the lawyer started to talk. But then the cavalry arrived in the form of Chin and Kono, and she was as upset as Adam was. Danny didn't have time to concentrate on what she was saying, just that he wasn't being shot yet, which was a bonus.

But then someone was, one shot, and Lancing, who really liked to spout crap, as most lawyers did, collapsed, hole in his forehead.

And then HPD arrived, and Danny relaxed, finally. He looked around and, for the first time in a while, didn't know what to do now. Normally a scene like this he could deal with in his sleep, but, as Kono and Chin were dealing with Adam Noshimuri, HPD officers were disarming the others and arresting people, and another officer was making sure Lancing was really dead, the only person who needed him, didn't really need him.

Steve was standing where he had been, Wo Fat still in front of him, handcuffed, his gun pressed to the asshole's side, and he was watching Danny with an intensity the detective hadn't seen for a while. So he walked over to him, and studied him for a moment, taking in his tired but triumphant expression, the tight way he held himself, and made sure that he was real and breathing.

And then Steve grinned at him, that wide goofy grin that Danny adored and shoved Wo Fat at him. "Book 'em, Danno," he told him, fondly amused.

Danny grabbed the bad guy and shook his head ruefully. "You're really going with that?" he asked him, and walked away to the nearest squad car with Wo Fat in front of him. He shoved him in the back of the car, slammed the door, and grabbed an officer standing nearby, ordering him to stay there and make sure the guy stayed in the car, he didn't want him pulling a Houdini on them, again.

Once done he looked up at his partner again, and saw him standing there, alive, real, back home, that stupid smirk on his face. He was tired, injured, that much was obvious, and Danny walked back over to him, knowing that he should be doing something, that he should be getting Wo Fat to Halawa, he should be checking where Adam was being taken and what he was being charged with. But he did none of that. Instead he walked over to his partner, stood close and revelled in the weight of Steve's arm heavy over his shoulders, his body pressed close against his own, and he slipped his own arm around the SEAL's waist and pressed his free hand to his chest, just to make sure he was there and breathing.

He couldn't stay like that forever, he knew, but when he looked up at his partner to say so Steve just pulled him closer, if possible, while he was talking to Chin.

But Danny wasn't going to let that happen, despite his relief at having him back, but his partner had been in a plane crash, looked like crap, and needed to be checked out, whatever he said to anyone. They also had to deal with Wo Fat, and from the look on Kono's face, Adam.

"Babe," Danny called and squeezed Steve's waist to get his attention. "We've got to get Wo Fat somewhere, they you checked out."

Steve looked down at him and then glanced at the patrol vehicle behind them where his nemesis was currently residing. "I'll take him to Halawa," he said to him. "Then we can regroup at our house."

"Right," Danny said slowly, dryly. "Don't think I hadn't noticed about the lack of 'hospital' in that plan," he retorted, but let him go anyway.

"Uh huh," Steve commented and looked around him. "Where's the Camaro?" he asked, a question Danny didn't want to answer.

"HQ," he replied quickly, and turned to peruse the other vehicles. Chin's was the only one available and he looked over at the owner.

Chin nodded. "No problem, brah," he agreed. "Are you going with Wo Fat, Steve?" he asked. When the Commander nodded Chin pulled out his keys and phone. "We'll follow."

Steve nodded and was going to say something else to his partner but Danny was already off, searching for some back up. Even as he watched the diminutive blond rounded up a group of HPD officers milling around nearby, arranging an escort for them. "You need to do some major damage control, Boss," Kono told him as she followed his gaze. "And something else too. He's been out of contact all afternoon," she added curiously. "Just to turn up here, in time, in an odd car."

Steve nodded thoughtfully, and watched Danny as he came back, the officers he had selected scurrying to their vehicles. He wasn't limping, but he looked tired, and then there was a dark, or darker shadow on one side of his face, under an eye. "Danny…" he began to ask him when he was in range again, but his partner waved him off. "Go," he told the SEAL. "I can't keep the officers all night. We'll follow, okay?"

Steve sighed and nodded and left him there to head back to the squad car Danny had stashed Wo Fat in. The officer he'd set to guard nodded at the Commander when he approached. "Where too?" he asked as he made his way to the driver's side.

"Halawa," Steve replied a he got into the passenger seat. "And don't spare the horses."

* * *

Steve didn't allow himself to even think about relaxing until Wo Fat was caged, finally, in solitary in Halawa, not the cell he had been in, that would have been poetic indeed. That, when he walking out of the place, was when he realised it was over, he was home, he was exhausted and, if he was completely honest with himself, hurting too.

The rest of his team were waiting for him outside the prison, Danny out of the car, leaning against the vehicle, while the other two were still inside. He needed to grill him about the Camaro, and was planning to start when he approached but Danny cut him off. "Chin's going to drop us off at HQ so I can take you for a check up," he told Steve and opened the door for him. "And don't argue," he added, again as Steve opened his mouth to do just that. Danny shook his head and shut the door behind his partner, then hoofed it round the car and got in beside him. He was tired, he really didn't know what he was going to tell Steve and the other two about his afternoon, he didn't want to think about it, so he ignored their questions and deflected as much as he could until they stopped. But Danny knew, looking at Steve that he wasn't going to get away with it for long.

Steve was tired enough to let him drive his own car to Queens, just so he could watch him as he did so. He had missed Danny so fucking much when he was in Japan, at times the only thing that kept him sane and on target was hearing his voice on the many messages he had left him. He knew he should have answered his calls, he was so tempted so many times to do that, but the moment Danny would ask that he come home he would have, however close they would have been.

But Danny, bless his beautiful, knowledgeable heart, hadn't asked him to come home, he'd asked him to let him know his partner was alive, okay and where he was. So he sent him that text message, and hoped it would be enough. He'd not been very surprised when Danny had left him a message about the weather in Japan. He had a lot of things to do to make up to him, Steve knew, and the least he could do was let him keep his secrets, for the time being anyway.

* * *

The only time Danny had to reflect on his day was when Steve was being thoroughly checked out in Queens ER. They hadn't been that busy at the hospital when he had herded the SEAL in (he could add that to his resume now, SEAL (not tree) herder) but he made sure his partner got seen straight away by telling the receptionist: "He's been in a plane crash," tersely, "Small plane, outlying islands."

The receptionist took one look at Steve's exhausted form, the bruises forming on his face, and called a doctor straight away. So now the Commander was subjecting himself to an ultrasound scan, and in a few minutes would be taken to an MRI scanner, and Danny found himself sitting in a waiting room, contemplating his wrists. They had some cuts on them from where he had struggled against the zip ties, they stung, and the skin around was bruised too. He'd been an idiot to trust that guy, especially because he was CIA, but he'd been panicking because Steve's life was at risk, again. He'd been angry and worried when he'd been taken, then petrified and furious when that asshole Kendricks had told him that Steve was worth fuck all, despite his adult life being used to protect his country, just because the CIA had been using an international criminal in their covert affairs and were embarrassed about it.

And now he knew about that what did that mean for him? He hadn't worked with the CIA before, didn't know much about them, and his imagination was running wild. They had told him a lot, was he going to be next on whatever list Kendricks had? If they could arrange the demise of an Interpol agent, a SEAL and hide the murder of one of their own, then what could they do to a lowly police detective?

But what could he do about it here and now? Nothing was the answer, and he had a lot more things to do rather than sit there and brood.

So he stood and walked into the treatment room nearby, smiling to himself as he watched from the doorway. Steve was virtually asleep on the treatment bed while a tech moved an ultrasound scanner over his abdomen. The SEAL noted he was there though and smiled up at him. "Hey, Danno," he greeted him quietly. "This guy," he indicated to the technician with a slight hand wave. "Says I'm not pregnant."

The tech glanced up at him and then over his shoulder at Danny. "You'll have to keep trying," he added with a slight smile.

Danny nodded, too tired to be embarrassed and he walked over and took one of his partner's hands in his own, interlocking their fingers. "Anything else, though?" he asked the tech. "No gushing aneurisms? Nothing ruptured?"

Steve gently squeezed his hand and blinked up at him. "I'm okay, Danno," he assured him.

"There's nothing on here," the tech replied. "He's due an MRI so that'll pick up anything else."

Danny nodded and turned back to the SEAL while the other guy started to pack up. "We need to make sure, Babe," he said to him and indicated to his naked, bruised chest with his free hand. "_I _need to make sure."

Steve, surprisingly enough, was too tired and too battered to argue with him. He could also see the exhaustion and worry in Danny's eyes and all over his face. He wasn't a foolish man, he knew Wo Fat and the trials of the day had done a number of him, and it would be stupid not to be treated. It would also make Danno feel better too, Steve had no doubt he was going to be mother-henned to distraction over the next couple of days, and was looking forward to it. He glanced at the tech who was concentrating on something else, and pulled Danny's captured hand up to his lips and lightly kissed his knuckles. "I missed you, Danno," he murmured. "So much. I am sorry I left the way I did, but…" He paused and kissed his skin again while he thought how to say what he needed. "I'm not sorry I found him though," he added eventually.

Danny huffed and squeezed his hand. "Did you not think I could help you?" he asked him quietly. "I'm your partner, aren't I?"

"You are much more than that," Steve answered him. "I knew I could trust you to run the place here, better than me."

Danny relaxed a little and squeezed his hand. He could see the tech talking to a nurse at the door, the next test was due. "We'll talk later," he told his partner. "I missed you too," he added to reassure him of that. "But I think the messages might have given you that idea."

Steve smiled wryly, but before he could respond the nurse joined them, with a wheelchair. "Sorry Gents," she said firmly, and meant it, seeing their joined hands. "But MRI scans don't wait."

Danny nodded and let go of his partner's hand, much to Steve's annoyance; exacerbated by the wheelchair she was pushing.

Danny sighed and helped him sit up. "Are you really going to argue about this?" he asked him dryly. "Seriously?"

Steve grumbled but allowed the three of them to help him into the chair – he had stiffened up considerably while on his back. And he was even more annoyed when Danny stayed where he was and asked the nurse the room and floor she was going to take him. "You're not coming?" he asked him, surprised and worried. He'd been without him for at least two weeks, and that was far too long to be missing him.

Danny laid a hand on his shoulder for a moment. "I've got a few calls to make about this case," he explained. "I can't do that from the MRI suite. I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

Steve frowned and was going to question him further but Danny let him go and stepped away. "I'll be there as soon as I'm done," he told him. "And Kirsty," he read the nurse's name from her badge, "will look after you."

She nodded, and without delay pushed him out of the room. The tech, Jamie his badge read, smiled at him. "You can use your mobile in the staff canteen." he told him. "I'm on my way there, and it'll be more comfortable than outside."

"Thanks," the cop said to him gratefully, and followed him.

* * *

He found a quiet corner, table and pulled out his phone to get to work. By the time he had made it to the MRI scanner he'd spoken to Kono, spoken to Adam, called HPD custody holding and asked them to hold onto the guy until Kono cold get there, arranged for the ADA on duty to go and speak to Adam, denied any real proof of wrong doing on Adam's part, put reasonable doubt – he hoped – into the ADA's mind and everything on Lancing, and ended up trying to explain this actions to an angry Chin.

"Why are you helping him?" Chin demanded after Danny had explained where they were, why and why he had spoken to Kono. "He kidnapped Kono, Danny. I found her tied up with duct tape in an empty house. He could have killed her!"

"But he didn't," Danny told him with a sigh. "Has she pressed charges?"

Chin paused for a moment and then relaxed. He was right, Kono hadn't pressed charges, in fact she was pretty pissed that Adam was arrested. "What about Steve?" he asked him after some silence. "Adam was going to kill him."

Danny sighed again. "The CIA wanted to kill Steve," he told him grimly. "Adam wanted Wo Fat, not Steve."

Chin frowned again as he thought about it. "Where were you all afternoon, Danny?" he asked him. "We couldn't get in contact with you. Where did you go?"

Danny looked down at his wrists, they were sore, he needed to get the cuts cleaned and dressed. "Deputy Station Chief Kendricks of the CIA grabbed me," he explained. "I spent the afternoon tied to a chair while he was telling me how Steve's flight didn't exist, he didn't exist, that no-one was bringing Wo Fat back in," he grumbled. "They were counting on the Yakuza stopping Wo Fat getting here, because they didn't want it to get out they were working with Wo Fat."

Chin frowned in thought. "They told you all that?" he asked grimly. He was running through scenarios and none of them were good. "Max called," he explained. "The morgue was broken into, that Douglas' body was taken, and the files too." He checked his phone, looking around this darkened living room for a weapon, planning to find his colleague. "How did you get out?" he asked him. "They didn't just let you go, did they? And that car you were driving – where did you get it?"

Danny closed his eyes and groaned. "Someone in the office was a friend of Douglas," he explained. "He cut the ties, told me how to get out of the building, and left the car."

Chin was silent while he thought about that. The CIA were notorious for nefarious dealings and the last person he wanted swallowed up by them was Danny. "They didn't let you go?" he asked darkly.

Danny sighed, again. "Not as such, no," he admitted. "Look Chin," he added quietly. "There isn't much I can do about it now." Or at all, he thought to himself. "And Steve should be in an MRI scanner by now, so I've got to go," he added, just to get him off the subject. He was worried, he'd heard horror stories, read reports, listened to stuff Steve had said about the CIA and he really didn't want to be involved in any of that, let alone the target of it.

"All right," Chin grumbled, not satisfied. "We're not done with this, brah," he added quickly. "Let me know about Steve," he instructed. "I'll call later, okay?"

"Okay," Danny replied, relieved. "Get some sleep, Chin."

"You too, brah," his friend replied, and didn't see Danny shake his head or hear his 'Yeah, right,' as the blond hung up. Like he was ever going to sleep again after this. With a sigh he stood, put his phone away and went to find his partner.

* * *

The scans were negative, Steve must have bones of steel, most other people would have shattered ribs, pelvis, arms etc. But SuperSEAL had managed to escape a plane crash, a couple of beat downs and an armed showdown or two with some huge bruises, a few cuts, grazes and not much more. He was exhausted, they both were, and a sympathetic doctor and a couple of nurses had taken pity on them. They were now tucked up in two beds in a private room; Steve loaded up with painkillers, an IV with something, Danny with his wrists finally cleaned and dressed – he had managed to cut them quite badly in some places in his panic – both fast asleep.

Chin found them some time in the afternoon, watched them both sleep for a few minutes before he found a chair, sat down, set up his laptop and prepared himself to wait for them.

Steve woke first, and he spent some time cataloguing his body before anything else. He was tired, a little sore, and if he moved very much he knew it would hurt like hell. But he had to find out where he was and whom it was he could hear, so he turned his head with a wince to survey his domain. The first thing he set his eyes on was the other bed, and his partner, his Danno, stretched out, fast asleep, covered by a blanket, on his side facing towards him. Even in his sleep he looked exhausted, frown lines etched into his forehead, one hand clutched at the blanket covering him.

Steve studied him and frowned himself – there was a bruise on one of Danno's cheekbones, under an eye, a bandage on his wrist, his cheeks gaunt, his hair askew, and the Commander wracked his brain to see if his partner mentioned those yesterday. He hadn't and something had happened, that was clear, and Steve really needed to find out what. But before he moved Chin moved into his eye line, spotted what he was looking at and smiled slightly. "He missed you, a lot," he said quietly to him.

Steve glanced up at him and then back at his lover. "I missed him," he assured him. "Being away from him made me realise just what I have."

Chin watched the other guy as he watched the sleeping detective and smiled at the soft expression on Steve's face – he was really in love with their blond firecracker. "Good," Chin answered him, and laid and gentle hand on the SEAL's shoulder. "Maybe you'll stay and tell him that," he told him. "He needs to hear that from you, in your words, as often as possible." He turned back to Danny and found him blinking sleepily up at them. "Starting now," he added. "Call me when you're being released," he instructed, gave him a pointed look, and left them alone. After gently ruffling Danno's hair, and laughing fondly at his sleepy grumble of complaint.

The blond was going back to sleep, or try, but forced his eyes open when he heard Steve call his name. "You all right?" the haole asked his partner after a few moments of simply watching each other. "Really?'

Steve smiled at him and nodded. "I'm okay," he assured him. "Because of you." He smiled a bit more when Danny blushed beautifully. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Danno," he assured him sincerely. "I'm sorry I had to go."

Danny watched him for a few moments before he replied. "You said that," he replied. "I missed you as much," he added. "And if you do that to me again I'll find you and rip your stupid 'nads off."

He was going for fierce, but Steve was so much in love he was enthralled. "I love you," he told him in response. "Can you get over here?" he asked him in the ensuing shocked silence his words received. "I don't think I can move that far."

Danny shook his head and grumbled to himself about SEAL's with no sense of self-preservation but sat up and pulled the blanket off him anyway. "All right, all right." he mumbled and slipped out of his bed. He was dressed only in his shorts and, as he padded over to Steve's bed, it gave his partner time to study his form. He was beautiful, a little thin, but no obvious injuries apart from both wrists, and Steve moved the little he was able to give him some more room.

Danny climbed up and snuggled close to him, laid his head on part of Steve's shoulder that wasn't too bruised, tangled their legs together and reached for one of his hands so he could interlock their fingers.

Steve was happy to comply and he lifted his partner's captured hand to his mouth to kiss his knuckles. "I love you," he said to him again. "I missed you. And what happened to your wrists?"

Danny huffed and pressed a kiss to Steve's throat. "Later," he mumbled and relaxed, finally at home when Steve slipped his free arm around his shoulders to hold him close. "Go back to sleep."

"Hmm," his partner replied, but didn't argue with him, he could do that later. "Later," he agreed and pressed a kiss to the tip of Danno's nose before he closed his eyes and did as he was told.

End


	23. 223

2.23 (this is AU, and I've left it a bit open ended so I can finish it off at some point)

Also, and I think it's been said by others, I really _really _hope TPTB don't go all: "Mummy, you're alive, welcome back into my open arms" because that would be just... no.

* * *

Danny took the call with a surprised look down at his phone. He only had Adam Noshimuri's number in it for emergencies, and didn't expect the guy to call him, at all. So he answered, and the frown was obvious in his voice. "Adam? What...?"

He didn't get the chance to say something else, Adam shouted him down. "Danny! Chin's just called me, Delano took Kono out on the water! Meet me at my dock, now! We've got to go out and get her!" Panic was obvious, and the detective decided to go rather than question.

He looked around him and checked where he was, noted he was virtually there anyway, and floored the Camaro. "I'll be there in two." he snapped at him sharply. "Tell me what's going on!"

So Adam rattled off what Chin had said to him, pacing the deck of his Sunseeker, and looked out of the silver car as he did so. He didn't have to wait long, Danny was as good, if not a better driver than McGarrett, not that the SEAL ever let him, and he got there quickly and safely, slipping round the corners with ease. He spotted the guy in question, it was the only boat on the dock after all with all lights blazing and a man standing on the bow waving at him maniacally, and stopped the car with a foot or two to spare before ending up in the water. Danny was out, and he ran to the trunk and simply grabbed the bag of Steve's toys from it before the lid fully opened in his haste. He then slammed it shut again, locked the car with the remote and sprinted over to the boat, and as he leapt on board Adam yelled at the pilot he had brought with him, one of Chin's cousins, and they were off.

"Chin called you?" Danny queried when he made his way over to the panicked Adam.

The guy nodded and was pleased to put a hand on Danny's strong arm to steady himself as the speed boat skipped over the waves. "Something about Delano monitoring your phone," he said quickly. "He figured he wouldn't be mine. I think Malia is in trouble too."

"Shit." Danny cursed and looked around him to see if there was anything he could see in the dark ocean around them to indicate where they could be. "Did he say anything about where she could be?" he asked Adam quickly and put the bag he was still carrying on one of the seats next to him.

"Somewhere south," Adam answered, and watched curiously as Danny rummaged quickly through the large duffle he had brought with him. He didn't say anything, he didn't need to, Danny pulled out a pair of what looked like night vision binoculars and something else. He handed the binocs to Adam, and kept the other thing himself. "Here," he told him, and quickly showed him the basics of how to use the binoculars. "They're military grade so have a long range. This," he indicated to the scope. "Is a heat seeking telescope. You look out that way, I'll take this," he added and indicated to the areas in front and to the sides of them. "Yell if you get anything."

Adam nodded and did as he was told. He was grateful for any help the other man could give him, Chin had sounded panicked on the phone, a burner, as he was driving to his house, apologetic that he had to get to Malia, even when Adam himself was just very grateful that the Lieutenant called him to help.

Chin had said that Delano had given him a 15 minute radius, but the boat that he had told Adam was tiny compared to this SunSeeker Predator 60 he had bought on a whim, the massive engines were eating up the sea in front of them and they should be in range in only a couple of minutes. But, and there was the frisson of fear about both men, but it didn't take 2 minutes for someone to put a couple of bullets in Kono's head, or for her to drown.

So Adam kept his eyes glued to the binocs, scanning the area of sea in front of them and to the starboard side, leaning against the guard rail in front of him and hoping he didn't fall overboard as his Kelly pushed the huge powerboat as fast as it had ever gone before. And he was just about to leap into the air in happiness when he spotted something in his glasses. "I've got something!" he yelled, and Danny was by his side in a flash. "Over there," he told him and pointed with one hand, the other still holding the heavy glasses to his eyes.

Danny followed his hand and used his own scope to check it out, not too far away from him, a boat it looked like, two heat signatures, one the engine, the other someone standing, but he didn't think it was Kono. "Got it," he agreed. "Get the boat over there, I'll scan the water,"

Adam nodded and scrambled away, up the ladder to the pilot's station above them, and showed Kai Kelly where to go. He slowed the boat down, he didn't want to run the boss's girlfriend and his own cousin over, and was pleased he did. About twenty metres away from the other boat a couple of things happened at once – Danny yelled that he had spotted someone in the water, and who ever on the boat, smaller than the SunSeeker, opened fire.

Adam and Kai could take cover where they were, but Danny, scrambling over to the side of the boat where he had seen a warm patch in the water, was not protected. He didn't seem to care he had no vest on, or that someone was aiming a high powered sniper rifle at him, what he did care was getting to the right side. Kai watched and steered his boat in the direction the detective was pointing, luckily away from the view of the sniper, and Adam was already sprinting back down to the lower deck, but neither were quick enough. Danny shouted and pitched forward as he felt something kick into his back, making him stumble over his own feet and against the gunwale. He could ignore it for the moment, he could see Kono, she was floating on her back, illuminated now by the light on the speedboat's bow, and she looked okay.

"Kono!" he yelled and had to gasp in a breath when it seemed to get stuck in the back of his throat.

"Danny!" she yelled back, and started to swim back to the boat, using her legs to kick powerfully though the small swells. She took a quick look round and noted the step on the stern that was closest to the water, and aimed for there. Danny tried to go to her, but he found, suddenly, he could hardly move. His back, radiating from his shoulder, was on fire, his knees were suddenly weak, and if it weren't for Adam getting to his side he would have fallen. "Kono's headed to the … the stern," he told the other guy and let him help him down to a sit on the deck, protected from the gun fire. Which was now coming from Kai too – he had stopped all engines, placing the boat between Kono and the other one, and was, even now, strafing the other vessel with a high powered automatic rifle held competently in both hands.

Adam trusted the guy enough to leave him to it, and had first hand knowledge of exactly how Kono moved in the water, so he stayed with Danny. He'd been shot, high in his back and he quickly checked him over to see if it was a through and through. It wasn't and he swore quietly, that meant there was a slug of indeterminate size rattling around in Danny's chest cavity. "Kai! Just kill the asshole already!" he shouted and ripped off Danny's shirt so he could see the wound better. "Stop it, Danny," he said to him when the guy tried to fight him. "You've been hit, I've got to see, got to deal."

Kono, bless her hidden strength, pulled herself up and over the stern plate and into the boat, took a few, relieved gulps of air, and then started to look around for anyone. She quickly pulled herself up into the main body of the boat and kept down, but high enough so she could look into the main deck. Adam was there, and, rather than looking round for her, he was quickly moving a seated Danny on to his side on the deck. She frowned in surprise, then shock when she saw the amount of mess her partner's back was in, blood streaming from the wound in the bright lights of the boat, and she swore and got to her feet. It was difficult to run over the heaving deck with her hands still tied together but she had just escaped from the sea itself so didn't really care. It took only moments before she was kneeling beside her lover and he looked up at her with a tight grin. "Are you okay?" he asked quickly, and when she nodded he turned back to Danny. "Good, now press down on this," he instructed, and indicated to the wound and shirt on Danny's back. "Hard,"

She nodded and did as he asked, while he stood quickly and jogged to the superstructure, there was an extensive first aid kit inside. "Kai!" he yelled as he got there. "Status!"

"One asshole dead!" his pilot shouted back, and it was only then that Adam realised there was no more shooting.

"Good, head back, now! Williams got hit," Adam ordered, and ran back to the downed detective. Kono was still there, and she was eyeing up the bag of goodies Danny had brought with him. "What else is in there?" he asked as he rummaged in his own bag. "Danny brought it with him,"

"Grenades," Kono answered, and looked up at him with a meaningful gaze. It took only a moment for him to figure out what she was thinking, and he nodded. "Sink the fucker," he agreed. "Then get back here, I'll need your help."

She nodded but showed him her hands, making him huff with laughter. He found a knife in his pocket and quickly sliced the thick rope, and then turned back to Danny again when she quickly got up and left them for a moment. "She's almost as bad as McGarrett," he said to the other man, but didn't expect a response. He was right, Kono quickly found a couple of grenades, pulled out the pins and threw them into the other boat that she had been held in, then waved at Kai to get the hell out of there. The guy nodded, gunned the engines and threw the SunSeeker round in a wide arc away from the other boat and back towards the islands, leaving just as the other boat blew with a loud 'whump'. They left it burning, lighting the night sky for a while before it sank.

Danny grunted, lying on his side on the deck, eyes closed, and all he could think of was what the hell was Steve doing, where, and what kind of trouble he was getting himself into without back up.

* * *

Steve stared at the woman that had opened the door in shock. He couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him, the woman was exactly how he had imagined his mother would look like if she had survived. But that wasn't possible, was it? "Mom?" he queried, and she nodded and smiled at him.

She stepped back to let him in to the small house. "Yes, Steve, it's me," she told him, and frowned a bit when he shook his head and didn't take the invite. "Steve?"

He shook his head and stepped backwards, away from her, away from what she represented. For the last twenty years of his life he had known she had died, she had gone, and there had been nothing he could have done to stop it. Her death had shaped him into what he was, and he was proud to be a Navy SEAL, but it had caused a huge amount of pain as well. It was because she had died that he had trained himself not to feel, not to show emotion, his Dad had pushed him away because of it, and he had grown up expecting people to push him away too.

And Mary's life had been completely ruined by it; she had spent the better part of fifteen years high or drunk, and the last five making up for that. They had only been able to reconnect recently, and he blamed the woman standing in front of him for that.

So he stepped back and shook his head. "I can't believe this," he said, his voice acid and showing his anger. "How could you do this to us? How? Dad's dead because of you!" He backed away, back down the steps, and turned on his heal as she tried to follow him.

"Steve!" she shouted after him, but he shook his head and started to run. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care, what he cared about was getting away from her and somewhere where he could get back to Danny. His partner was whom he needed to be with, he knew that, and he had to get back to him.

* * *

Adam and Kai got Danny in the back of his own car when they got back to the dock and he stayed with him, hands still pressed hard onto the pressure dressing he had taped onto his wound while Kono drove like a mad woman to the nearest hospital and Kai, in the front passenger seat, called ahead and told they were coming in with a GSW. Danny was still bleeding, but at least he was still breathing, in and out, and at one point he blinked up at Adam with a frown. "…Kono…?" he gasped, and Adam nodded at him. "Fine, Danny," he assured him. "Driving actually. Just breathe, okay?"

Danny didn't say anything else, he couldn't, he just did as he was told and breathed as deeply as he could, which wasn't much. He was scared, but Adam seemed to know that and he nodded and reached round him to grasp at one of Danny's clenched hands. "It'll be okay, Danny," he assured him. "Just keep breathing."

* * *

Steve flagged down a cab and ordered it to the nearest international airport, keeping an eye out for anyone following him. He thought he spotted someone, thought it was Joe, but just asked the cab driver to speed it up for some extra yen and he would pay. He had to get home, he had to get away from here, and he just hoped he could get a flight back to Hawaii tonight.

At least he had his wallet and passport on him, and he quickly double-checked one of his many pockets to make sure they were still there. They were, and he still had some yen in his wallet from the last time he was here, so he had enough to pay the cabbie when they got to the airport. It was the same one they had flown into, and he was pleased at that, he could get a flight back, he knew. He strode over to the information desk and asked the person at the desk about flights to Hawaii, he had to get there ASAP, using family emergency as a reason, and was relieved when the guy got him a business class seat on a flight in two hours time. He sighed in relief, turned round, and came face to face with Joe White.

* * *

Chin stood back as his wife's colleagues worked hard to save her life at HMC, and he found himself chewing on his thumbnail as they moved around her like a well-oiled machine. He knew they were very effective, Malia had told him that and he knew it from first hand experience, but this was his wife they were working on. He'd never felt so helpless in his life, Delano had got him where it hurt, either his cousin or his wife, and he had no idea if he had done the right thing, made the right choice. He knew Adam would go after Kono, he cared a lot about her, she him, that was obvious, and he had stared at his phone a couple of times while he waited, scared to call him just in case he hadn't got there in time. But Kono was part fish, Delano was a fool if he thought throwing her in the ocean was going to be a bad thing, he had seen her get out of worse as a hobby. Even so there was still a niggling part of his mind that though – what if he had made the wrong choice?

He didn't have long to wait to find that out – Malia was taken up to surgery and he was kicked out to another waiting room, where he came face to face with Adam, and Kono, and he managed a breath of relief. "Kono!" he said to her when he saw her, and quickly strode over. She hugged him back when enfolded her in his arms, pressed her cheek to his, and stood there for a few moments, just holding on.

"How is Malia?" Adam asked after a couple of minutes of watching them. In their panic to get here with Danny he hadn't called Chin to let him know, but they were here now.

"In surgery," Chin replied as he pulled away from his cousin. He checked her out, her clothes were damp as was her hair, but she looked okay, in one piece. Which worried him when he spotted blood on Adam's hands and clothes. "What happened?" he demanded, and indicated to the other guy with his hand, suddenly scared again. "Where's Danny?"

"In surgery," Adam replied, mirroring Chin. "He got hit in the back when he was trying to get Kono out of the water."

Kono shuddered and leant close against her cousin for a moment. "There was so much blood," she murmured.

Adam nodded at Chin's horrified expression. The last thing Chin had expected or wanted was someone he cared about to be hurt – Malia, Kono or Danny – and he hadn't been able to protect any of them. "We got there and the guy on the other boat started shooting at us, high calibre, almost immediately." Adam explained grimly. He looked around them and noted the obvious absence. "I thought McGarrett was with you," he stated. "He's Danny's next of kin and emergency contact. The Doctor was pretty annoyed he wasn't here to sign the forms."

Chin shrugged. "I don't know," he answered with a frown. "I thought he was with Danny."

"No sign," Kono replied and moved back to Adam's side where he slipped an arm around her waist. But she stayed in arms reach with her cousin, and laid a hand on his arm as well. "Where the hell is he?" she asked any of the men in the room.

Neither of them could answer her.

* * *

"Leaving so soon, Son?" Joe asked him as Steve glared at him. "I thought you'd be pleased."

Steve looked around him and spotted a couple of armed guards not too far away, unfortunately that meant he couldn't take the step forward he wanted to and break White's neck. "I'm not your son," he snarled at him instead. "Get out of my fucking way."

"Now, now," Joe replied, and stood just where he was. "No way to speak to…"

Steve didn't let him finish, he stepped forward and quickly grabbed Joe round the throat with one large hand, not caring about the guards. "I don't give a fuck about language," he hissed at him, fury evident in his tone. "You're more than an asshole, White. I should have let Adam kill you, put the whole world out of its misery. Don't think I won't finish you off now."

Joe stood still, he had seen what damage the younger man could do with just the one hand and he didn't want to be a victim of that. He was squeezing his throat, yes, but was letting him breathe, just about, which White was taking as a bonus. "She's your mother," he growled out. "You're just going to walk away?"

Steve squeezed. "She's no mother of mine," he snapped back, and squeezed harder. Joe's eyes started to bulge, he clawed at Steve's hand ineffectually, and the SEAL watched him, emotionless. He was prepared to strangle him right there and then, but raised voices alerted him of the arriving security guards. "Don't follow me, or come anywhere near me again," he whispered at the dying man in front of him. "Or I'll finish the job. Got it?"

Joe nodded, and gasped in some welcome air when Steve let him go and shoved him away. He stumbled over his own feet and stared up at the three of them – Steve and the two armed guards – balefully.

Steve ignored him and turned to face the guards himself. "He was trying to steal my wallet," he explained to them in flawless Japanese. "He's been following me since I stopped him from trying to rape a little boy yesterday,"

Joe didn't speak Japanese, but he knew Steve had said something that was going to cost him a lot of money and trouble when the two guards turned their attentions on him, guns drawn, anger written on their faces and stances. And the smug look on Steve's face was also a dead give away. "If I see you again, it'll be too soon, White," the SEAL snapped at him as one of the guards pulled the elder man up to his feet again, and quickly hand cuffed him.

"You'll regret this," Joe retorted, and stood his ground as he was nudged in the back. "This isn't over."

Steve glared at him. "I regret the day you ever stepped foot on Hawaii and met my father," he told him darkly. "You have brought nothing but lies and death to my family." With that he turned away and strode off to towards the gates, leaving the other guy staring after him.

White couldn't watch too long though, he was shoved forward by the guard, and lead away to a security post and what he knew was going to be several uncomfortable hours of interrogation and trying to defend himself. Steve had spoken few words, but whatever they were were effective.

* * *

Steve had to give a statement to officers in the airport and they did want to keep him in Japan while they searched for corroboration, but again he managed to persuade them that he had a family emergency back home, which was why he was travelling without luggage and had gotten a one way ticket. Eventually they let him go, and he had to jog to the departure gate while they were calling his name. With a quick apology to the staff at the gate he jogged onto the plane and got his seat, but only sighed in relief when the flight closed up and taxied off to the runway. He had to wait until the flight got into the air and some way from the airport before he could use his phone, and he quickly fired off a text message to Danny, telling him he was on a flight back to Hawaii and should be back in about four hours. But, when he didn't get a reply, he was surprised and worried, and he frowned. He had expected his partner to reply almost straight away with a few expletives, and his silence was not in keeping with him. So he frowned and sent a text to Kono and Chin: R U OK? What's going on? I'm flying back to Hawaii now.

And waited.

He had to wait quite a while for a reply, an hour or two, which was not good for his psyche. 'A mess' was the reply from Kono. 'Get to HMC when you land', and nothing more, which panicked him more than hearing nothing. Why would he have to get to the hospital when he landed? But when he asked that, he didn't get a reply.

* * *

Kono quickly typed out a message when she got a text from Steve, but, before she could elaborate a doctor walked in. "Family of Malia Kelly?" she asked, and smiled slightly when Chin quickly stood up, flanked by the other two.

"Is she…?" Chin asked, not being able to finish the question in his fear.

The doctor, a plump woman of about forty with purple hair, nodded. "She's alive," she told him, trying to be reassuring. "We've repaired the damage, and, barring any complications, she should be fine in a few weeks."

Chin smiled at her in relief, and then found his knees buckling. Adam was at his side immediately, keeping him off the floor, and Kono quickly pulled up a chair and they pressed him into it. The doctor quickly stepped forward too and pressed his head between his knees. "Breathe, Lieutenant Kelly," she told him firmly, and waited for him to do so before she said anything else.

As soon as he felt better Chin looked up and nodded and she continued. "I'm Doctor Valerie Mulgrew, I've worked with Malia before and we're all pretty happy with her progress."

Chin nodded and took another breath, so Kono replied for him. "Thank you," she said to her with a small smile. "Can we see her?"

Doctor Mulgrew nodded. "She's in recovery at the moment, as soon as we get her settled into a room I'll get someone to come and get you," she assured her.

"What about Danny? Detective Williams?" Adam asked her, a worried frown on his forehead. "He was brought in a few minutes later than Malia, with a gun shot wound too."

The doctor shook her head. "I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I wasn't working on him. But I'll go and find out, okay?"

Adam nodded and laid a hand on Chin's shoulder in collaboration. "Thank you, Doctor," he said to her. "Really."

She nodded and left them alone again, to go and find their other loved one. She knew Malia from work and liked her, and knew that she had married a member of 5-0 a few months ago. She also knew 5-0 and the name Danny Williams by reputation, and, being a curious soul, she did not begrudge going to find out what was going on with him. She walked to the ER main hub and used the computer to find out what was going on with him, and frowned at what she saw. From the reports she was reading he had lost a lot of blood, it looked like a high calibre round had made a mess of his shoulder, and, not surprisingly, he was in surgery to fix any major bleeds to start with before orthopaedics got involved. She then closed that record down and took a trip to the theatres, to actually see what was going on with him before she went back to the other people waiting to find out. He was being worked on by a couple of surgeons she could see from the window in the doors of the theatre, but they didn't seem to be panicking or rushing, so she took that as a bonus. They were obviously concentrating on what they were doing, and when she knocked on the window one of them looked up at her and nodded, and the other raised a hand and held his hand out horizontally, moving his little finger and thumb up and down in a mediocre fashion.

She nodded and left them to it to go back to the other three people, and they were still where she had left them, huddled together. "He's in surgery at the moment," she said to them when Adam especially looked up at her. "I'll get someone to let you know as soon as they're done," she explained.

He nodded his thanks, and she smiled at him and left them to it.

* * *

Steve's flight landed and he impatiently waited for it to taxi to the terminal so he could get off it. Luckily he was close to the exit so managed to get round the other people there and be one of the first people off. He had to go through immigration but after that he was out and back home. He had left his truck in the long stay car park so had transport, and was out and on his way to HMC thirty minutes after the plane had landed. It was late in the evening, more like early morning now, so traffic was light, and he got there in good time, and had no problem in parking the truck close to the main entrance. He quickly called Kono, who answered, told him she would meet him outside the front entrance, and hung up again. He huffed in impatience and got out of the vehicle, locked it and jogged over to the entrance of the hospital and he waited there for a few moments before Kono arrived.

She smiled at him in greeting and hugged him quickly, and she looked tired but not injured. "Are you all right?" he asked her as they let each other go. "What's going on?"

"Come on," she said to him and turned back to the hospital. "I'll tell you on the way." By the time they reached the surgical waiting room she had told him the basics of the whole sorry tale, and he was stunned to say the least. And scared to, she had no news on Danny, could tell him nothing, just that he had been shot, and they had gotten him back here as soon as they could. So he stopped at the reception to ER and waited for a moment for the nurse already there finished with someone else and turned to him.

"Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett," he told her quickly. "My partner, Detective Danny Williams, was brought in with a GSW."

She nodded and quickly pulled up the right record, and took his ID when he offered it to check it before she said anything. "He's just come out of surgery," she explained to him as she read it. "The surgeons will be very happy to see you, Commander," she added with a smile at him. "You are listed as his next of kin, they need to talk to you."

He nodded and took back his ID. "Where is he?" he asked her. "I need to see him."

She nodded and picked up the phone. "Hang on," she told him, and quickly dialled the right number, waited for a reply, and asked to be put through to the right person. "Commander McGarrett has arrived," she told whoever answered, listened, nodded and then hung up again. "Third floor, room 389," she told them. "They're waiting for you. Elevator is over there," she added and pointed to the elevator banks some distance away.

He nodded his thanks and jogged away, reminded that Kono was with him, and stopped so she could catch up when he pressed to call a car. They rode up in silence, and quickly found the right place. Steve was not reassured when 389 turned out to be ICU, even less when he said his name to the nurse on the main desk and she grinned at him in relief and quickly got up, pulling him with her to a cubicle next to the nurses station. A doctor was there, working on a machine, and Steve stopped walking and just stared at the body in the bed.

Danny looked awful, white as the sheets he lay on, hair matted and unruly, eyes closed, ventilator tube ruining his mouth, tube into his nose, strapped in place on his cheek, right arm strapped to his chest, his shoulder wrapped in bandages, an IV needle taped to his left hand, with three or four bags of liquid feeding into him. The rest of him was covered up to his chest with a sheet, and Steve didn't need to be told what the tube coming from under it to a bag hanging on the side of the bed was. His lover looked like he was being kept alive by the machines around him, and he looked so small, so much smaller than normal. When he was awake Danny filled such a huge space with his sheer presence, Steve forgot really how short and slim he was, until now, when he simply existed in the bed. "… Danny…?" the SEAL murmured, and he walked closer so he could touch him somewhere, just to make sure he was real and there.

The doctor noticed them and turned to face him. She looked him up and down and glanced at Kono with a frown, who nodded at her. "Steve McGarrett," the other officer told her. "He was in Japan, just got back."

The doc, tall, thin, dark skinned, nodded and smiled in relief. "Commander McGarrett," she said and walked over to him. "We're very happy to see you. Has Officer Kalakaua told you what's been going on?"

Steve didn't answer for a moment; he stared at Danny, his fingers hovering over the skin on the back of Danny's left arm, not touching him much just in case he hurt him. It took him some moments before he looked up and acknowledged the doctor, but she was prepared to wait. "Huh?" he said helpfully and then nodded. "Yes, yes, she has told me," he replied when his brain caught up. "What can you tell me?" he asked.

"He lost a lot of blood," she told him straight away. "The bullet hit his shoulder blade, shattered the bone and fragments nicked an artery and a couple of veins. He's also got some nerve damage, but the full extent of that will only become evident when he starts to use it again," she added.

Steve nodded. "So he will use it again?" he asked, trying to get some more out of her. "You think he's going to … pull through?"

She watched her patient for a few moments before she looked up at the other guy. "I think so, barring any complications," she told him. "He's strong, we managed to stop the bleeding, but…" she paused. "He may not get full use of his arm back," she admitted.

He stared at her for a moment before he turned back to his partner and lover. "We can work with that," he replied, and looked up at her again. "I didn't catch your name," he commented.

"Doctor Sarah Mitchell," she told him. "And don't even ask," she added when he opened his mouth. "I've made sure you can be in here all the hours you want, you're reputation precedes you, Commander,"

He smiled at her and nodded his thanks, and spied the chair in the room, near the bed the other side to the door. It wasn't the usual uncomfortable plastic thing, and his smile widened. "Does that thing recline?"

She nodded. "Kono told me you'd be here for the long haul," she explained. "I er … borrowed it from the head of department. He's on vacation so won't miss it for a while." She watched as he scooted round the end of the bed and tried it out for size, it did indeed recline.

"I think I might be here for a while," the Commander approved, and moved it closer to the partner so he could reach out and clutch Danny's left hand, slipping his underneath his partner's, palm upwards so he could interlock their fingers. He made himself comfortable and settled in to wait but not forgetting the other two in the room. "Kono, I'm going to be in here, and I'm sure Chin'll want to say with Malia," he said to her. "I'm sure I don't need to ask you to keep an eye on them?" he asked.

Kono shook her head with a smile. "No, you don't," she reassured him. "And you too – Danny'll have my hide if I let you do anything without back up," she told him. "I'll be back later," she assured him. "With something for you to eat while you tell me why you were on a flight back here. Okay?"

He nodded and watched them both leave the room, leaving him alone with his partner and the machines. He watched him sleep for a few moments before he leant forward and sighed. "I went to Japan without you, again, Danno," he murmured to him, using the silence to get his own thoughts in order. "Joe told me some bull, and I followed him, again." He used his free hand to cover his eyes for a moment. "You were right," he added after a few moments. "I should tell you that more often," he huffed, amused and moved his hand to look over at him. He had hoped for a suitably sarcastic reply, but Danno was still unconscious and said nothing. "He is an asshole," he continued. "He led me to some house somewhere, and there was a woman in it. She looked like my Mom," he told him, his voice grim. "He said she was Shelburne." He paused again and squeezed Danny's fingers. "So I left, I had to get back to you."

He sat and watched him breathe for a few minutes before he sat back in the chair, and used his thumb to caress the skin of Danny's hand while he thought. It hit him then, when he was sitting there watching him – Danno was the only person in his life that had brought stability, caring, and love; and he needed it, more so now. But Danny needed him too, what with this, and Grace. As he sat there, watching Danny sleep, listening to the heart monitor, the ventilator, the muffled, quiet noises from outside the room, that he could still lose the man in front of him, Danny could still be leaving him to go wherever Grace ended up. And that he couldn't deal with, so he was going to fight as much as he could to make sure that didn't happen. "You got my heart, Danno," he assured him. "You're in my blood, I'm not going to let you go, not like this." He meant it too, as soon as Danny was able to Steve was going to make sure he got his lawyer in here and they were going to create merry hell for Mr and Mrs Edwards, who were going to lose, and lose badly. His own issues could wait, as far as he was aware they were in Japan anyway, he had more important things to deal with.

End


End file.
